


The Rainbow Squids

by Branchwing (MaplesHaiku)



Series: The Rainbow Squids [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Except the agents, Friendship, Gen, General, More characters will be added as they show up/are mentioned, Most canon characters are side or minor characters, a little canon-divergent, episodic, the agents are traumatized, warnings in notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 86
Words: 300,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21650038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaplesHaiku/pseuds/Branchwing
Summary: (SEASON 3!) The Rainbow Squids are like any other inkling youth, doing turf wars and whatnot. Unfortunately, one member has been gone for months, and on top of that, they now have a plethora of things to deal with. From the rival group of octolings, Octa Prisma, to the misguided inkling, the Vigilante, the group finds themselves caught up in things they never even imagined.
Series: The Rainbow Squids [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994041
Comments: 32
Kudos: 15





	1. One Last War

**Author's Note:**

> Update 12/02/2020: The rating has been changed from "G" to "T" for sensitive themes, including trauma, implied self-harm, implied attempted suicide, an abusive relationship, and homophobia. Chapters with such content are marked, as it is not common throughout the work. However, it will continue to be written as if it were rated G, barring the sensitive themes.
> 
> Season 1 summary (chapters 1-28): "The Rainbow Squids are like any other inkling youth - playing turf wars and whatnot. Even when they're down a member for the time being, life still goes on for them." Originally posted on Fanfiction.net on 3/30/2019. Chapter 28 originally posted 9/29/2019.
> 
> Season 2 summary (chapters 30-57): "The Rainbow Squids are like any other inkling youth - doing turf wars and whatnot, even when they are down a member for the time being. However, no one knows when she will return, and now they have a rival group to deal with - a group of octolings called Octa Prisma."
> 
> Season 3 summary: "The Rainbow Squids are like any other inkling youth, doing turf wars and whatnot. Unfortunately, one member has been gone for months, and on top of that, they now have a plethora of things to deal with. From the rival group of octolings, Octa Prisma, to the misguided inkling, the Vigilante, the group finds themselves caught up in things they never even imagined."
> 
> As the story begins in August 2017, some parts will contain some inaccuracies in reference to item availability and whatnot.
> 
> Certain chapters will contain elements from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode and later, Octo Expansion. Chapters will be marked when appropriate.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the news of a certain someone's impending departure, the Rainbow Squids have a turf war.

_Roy's PoV_

"You're _what?!_ "

In the streets of Inkopolis, everyone simply stared at the green-haired inkling in their circle. She remained to have a neutral expression, a poker face, while the red-haired inkling, one with hair slicked to the side, gaped at her.

"You can't leave!" cried Roy, the red-haired inkling. "Not now! The Splatfest is tomorrow!"

"I wish I could," she started, adjusting the dark green beanie she wore, "but the vacation is already paid for, through-and-through. I can't ask for a refund at this point."

"You sure about that?" asked Roy, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in and putting his legs on the table. "Because I know a guy who booked a vacation somewhere, but forgot to buy an airplane ticket the day he was supposed to be there. So, he canceled it."

"That's different," commented the indigo-haired inkling two seats down from him. "You see, that squid you knew had a reason why he had to cancel. Geneva doesn't." The other inklings gathered around the table nodded in agreement.

"Exactly," Geneva, the green-haired inkling, agreed, pointing at Inigo, the indigo inkling, briefly. She cleared her throat, and then said, "I leave tomorrow morning. I don't know when I'll be back."

"But you said it was a vacation," Roy pointed out. "Don't they usually have start and end times? That are set?"

Her green eyes looked away from his glance. "This is different," she muttered. She then stood up, saying, "Enough of that. How about we do a turf war?"

The inklings murmured in agreement, while Roy took his legs off the table and leaned forward. A turf war with Geneva would be their last, and he did not know how long she would be gone. She was just being vague about her whole vacation! Why did she wait until the last minute? Upset thoughts stormed through his head, but he had to keep his temper in control. He clenched a fist and stood up.

"We're in agreement, then?" he asked. Everyone nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Wait a moment, Roy!" called the blue-haired inkling as Roy turned around. He turned his head to look at her. "We need eight inklings if we want a turf war all to ourselves."

"We can get my sister," the orange-haired inkling suggested. "She's usually who we get whenever we need eight." The blue inkling nodded in agreement, clasping her hands.

"I'll call her," the purple-haired inkling declared as he pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket. He dialed Octavia's, the orange-haired inkling, sister and in a few brief moments, he began talking with someone over the phone. "Yo, Alexis. It's Perry. Can you come to the tower for a battle?" He paused as Alexis spoke. "Yeah, yeah. We just need another member in our crew, yeah?" Another pause. "K. Great. See ya soon." He hung up and turned to say, "She's coming."

"My house isn't far from here," remarked Octavia. "We better get to the tower now."

"What about our weapons? I'm sure Alexis's bringing her dualies, but we weren't even planning this until Geneva brought up her vacation!" the yellow-haired inkling asked.

"Don't ya remember?" started Perry, giving a light punch to the yellow inkling. "We registered as an official team a while back. They're gonna store our weapons in the tower from here on out."

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "I totally forgot!" Yuri, the yellow-haired inkling, immediately started to jump towards the tower. "Come on! Let's go!"

 _Well, I'm glad that's dealt with,_ Roy remarked silently as the other inklings caught up with Yuri.

"Come on, slow-poke!" called Octavia. "You're as slow as a snail!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," murmured the blue inkling, Bonnie, in her soft voice. "I like taking my time."

"Don't have much time, do we?" added Perry in compliance with Octavia. "Via's right, you better hurry up."

"Fine, fine…" Bonnie started running to catch up with the group. When they arrived at the tower, they sat down in the lobby, waiting for Alexis to arrive.

"How far is your house exactly?" Inigo asked Via.

"Not far, like I said," replied the orange inkling, who was twirling her longer tentacle around her finger. "Give her a minute or two. She'll come."

At that moment, a short inkling with yellow-orange, chin-length hair burst through the entrance holding a pair of Splat Dualies. She wore a pirate-stripe tee alongside a bobble hat and FishFry sandals. She looked around momentarily before noticing the group of inklings lounging on the bench. The inkling walked up to them.

"Hey," greeted Alexis.

"Hey," greeted the group.

"Where are your weapons?"

"In there," replied Octavia, pointing to the entrance to the lobby. "We were waiting for you to come along."

"Really?" Alexis said with a smile. "Aw, thanks."

"No problem." The orange-haired inkling winked at her younger sister.

Roy stood up and started to head towards the lobby. "I'm gonna get everyone's weapons," he announced. "I'll be back in a few."

With that, the red-haired inkling took a deep breath and stepped inside the lobby. Going up to an interface, he navigated himself to the screen that said 'Rainbow Squids'. He tapped it, and next to the interface, a panel slide open, revealing a staircase. The inkling headed down towards the dimly lit room below in search for the weapons. He squinted, trying to make out the weapons in the dark. As much as he hated to admit, there was a downside to renting a room to store weapons in. They were all exceptionally dark.

He grabbed the first thing he could see and felt it. He put a hand to the barrel and felt the small holes form into a circle. Definitely Yuri's splatling. He never could understand their appeal. He put it by the stairs, where he could see it better, and looked for another weapon. He picked up another dark shape and held it up to the light. Geneva's Splattershot. He threw it next to the Heavy Splatling Deco and kept looking.

The third weapon he found was his own—the Luna Blaster. Smiling, he gently placed it next to Geneva's Splattershot and continued on. The next shape he found was large, and it was most certainly Inigo's roller. He spun the wheel for a little bit before setting it down. He counted the weapons he found on his fingers, and figured he only had three more to go. He felt around the room before coming across a thin object. Judging by the narrowness, it had to be Bonnie's signature Squiffer. He set it on the roller and continued searching.

He felt something at his feet as he was walking, so he looked down. It seemed to be in the shape of a wide brush, a big giveaway to the weapon's identity. He picked up Octavia's Octobrush Nouveau and set it down. He now only had one weapon left to find—Perry's slosher. Well, it was actually a Sloshing Machine, and it happened to be in the very corner of the room, so he grabbed the heavy bucket and dragged it to the dimly lit pile of weapons.

Roy looked at the pile stationed in front of him. Seven weapons, one for each member of the Rainbow Squids. Now, the real challenge would be getting them upstairs. He stepped over them and headed up the stairs to peak out at the lobby. He let out a squeak as he was met with Geneva's combat boots. He looked up to see her staring down at him.

"Hey, I said I got it!" he protested at her appearance.

Geneva smiled. "Did you really think you could carry all that stuff upstairs? Especially that big heavy slosher Perry has." She scratched the back of her head. "I don't understand how he even carries that thing," she quietly remarked.

"I said I don't need your help," Roy complained, folding his arms and turning away from her. No words were uttered, but when he opened an eye to peer back in front of him, the green inkling still stood. The red inkling then picked up Bonnie's charger and threw it at her feet. "…Take this to Bon-Bon."

Her smile curled into a smirk as nodded, picking up the white-and-blue weapon off the ground. "I'll be back," she said as she exited the lobby.

Knowing that Geneva would return shortly, Roy began to bring the weapons to the base floor for her to take. He grabbed the handle of the Carbon Roller and pulled it out, and eventually, he held in both hands the lightweight roller, and held it up. He felt someone grab the top of it, and looked up.

The roller's owner had his fair hands on the wheel. "I'll take that." The red-haired inkling let go, and Inigo pulled his weapon up and threw it over his back. "It's been a while since I've done a turf war."

Looking around, Roy noticed that all of the members of the Rainbow Squids, including Alexis, has circled around him. "What the heck?!" he growled, angry. "I said I was going to get them all!"

"As soon as Geneva came with my Squiffer, we knew there's no way you can get them all yourself," Bonnie explained.

"Come on, Roy, haul them up," Octavia commanded.

Grumbling, he grabbed Via's brush first and held it out for her to grab, which she did. He then gave the green inkling's Splattershot to her, then Yuri's Heavy Splatling Deco, who cheered as soon as he held it in his hands. At last, he grabbed the Sloshing Machine and lugged it upstairs for Perry to take. The purple inkling took it and sat on it while waiting for Roy. The tanned inkling picked up his Luna Blaster and finally got himself to the top of the stairs. When he stepped on the floor again, the panel slid back over the opening to cover it.

"Everyone got their weapons?" he asked. The inklings cheered in affirmation. "Alright, now we gotta decide the teams."

"Boys vs. Girls, anyone?" Yuri suggested. "It's a classic!"

"Dude, that's not fresh at all!" Perry whined, slumping on his slosher.

"Think about it." The dark-skinned inkling threw an arm around the chalk-white one. "We have four boys—me, you, Roy, and Inigo—and four girls—Via, Alexis, Geneva, and Bon-Bon."

"He has a good point," Inigo chimed in.

"Then it's settled," said Roy. "We'll see who wins."

Perry groaned, but he still picked up his slosher, and the eight inklings walked to the elevator that took them to their stage. Once it stopped, the floor slid open to reveal a grate. All eight inklings converted themselves into squid form, and they all slipped through the grate. Moments later, Roy found himself at a spawn point. Once he reverted to his human form, he examined the stage they appeared at. Looking around at the hills, he grimaced. _Great, Blackbelly Skatepark. My favorite._

In a few brief seconds, everyone started to ink the land. Pulling the trigger on the Luna Blaster, a deep green ring, greener than Geneva's green, came out and exploded onto the edge. Alright, his team has green ink. He could work with this. He kept his hand on the trigger as the green ink colored the skatepark. He covered one of the hills so he could swim up it. He melted into the ink and swam up it, the squid form popping out at the top. He transformed back in midair to land and ink the surface he stood on. He quickly inked the platform connecting to it and hid in the ink.

Pink ink splatted onto the central tower, and ripples moved through the ink. He looked up, and popping out at the top of the tower was an inkling with hair styled into a double bun. Bonnie. She threw a point sensor onto the ground, and a dark aura began to hang around him. Dang it. Roy revealed himself and activated his Luna Blaster. He thought he was doing good, making his way towards the tower, when painful ink hit him from behind. He exploded in pink ink and learned his attacker—Octavia, with her deadly Octobrush Nouveau.

He respawned and cursed as soon as he could speak again. He inked a different trail and started to travel through it. Where were the others? Hopefully, they were holding their own just fine. Another inkling swam by him and reformed as Yuri. The spiky-haired inkling through a Splash Wall to try to protect them. Bonnie noticed this, and turned her attention away from an attacker to charge up her Classic Squiffer to destroy the wall. Yuri and Roy took a few steps back as the charger was barely long enough to hit the Splash Wall. It fell apart and disappeared, but before Bonnie could turn about around, a glob of ink covered her. She turned around, rapidly shooting her Squiffer before another hit landed, causing her to splat and the tower to become covered in green ink.

"Come on up," an inkling with sharp bangs parted to reveal his eyes beamed. Yuri charged up his splatling and covered the ramp, allowing the two boys to swim up to the top. All in the while, Perry recharged his ink, and reformed by the time they arrived.

"None of the girls will be happy," the dark-skinned inkling speculated. He was right, as Geneva threw a Burst Bomb at the tower, covering the boys' feet in pink ink. Roy shot at the ground to get rid of the ink. "We better go," Yuri whispered to the tanned inkling. And with reason so. Alexis was approaching, shooting the ramp the two came up on. Yuri charged up his splatling and aimed it at the young inkling. She went down quickly, leaving a path for the two to go done to ground level.

Roy and Yuri went separate paths. While the latter headed towards their side of the stage, the former headed towards the enemy side. He had to be as stealthy as he can; the girls could catch him off guard. He had to swim back a few feet when the beam denoting a charger's aim landed on him. Within an instant, ink covered where he was. Roy reemerged from his ink and started to shoot around him. Bonnie's focus was on Roy at the moment, so his goal was to avoid her. He circled around the platform she stood on. The chase was ended when Octavia respawned and splatted him.

When Roy respawned, he noticed a Squid Beakon on one of the platforms. _Octavia must have put it there,_ he figured. A trail of pink ink shot over the skatepark as the Octobrush wielder leaped towards the Beakon. Green ink from Inigo's Carbon Roller was being flung at her, so she put the bristles to the ground and ran. Inigo ran after her, yet the Octobrush was faster. His attempts managed to destroy the Squid Beakon, which was good news for his team. Pink spotted the green side, so Roy took the opportunity to cover them back up.

He heard Perry let out a cry, and looking back at the central tower, it had become pink again as Bonnie retook her former spot. From there, she started shooting once more. Roy threw a bomb at the tower, though it only managed to land on the base before it exploded. Alexis covered the area the bomb covered right back up. A low growl emitted from Roy's throat. They were definitely losing! Even though a cloud of ink had just been unleashed above the tower, causing the girls to flee, his point still stands.

Perry returned, throwing ink onto the ramp to use the Ink Storm to his advantage. He and Inigo swam up the tower. The latter covered the base, while Perry threw ink onto the ground. The ponytailed boy swam off once his purpose was served. With that, Roy decided to push forward, hoping for no more incidents. Yet, Geneva emerged from a pink pool of ink and leaped into the air. He swam back into the trail he made just in time to survive the Splashdown, though he did not escape unscathed. Another hit or two could do him in. The long-haired inkling saw this advantage and threw a Burst Bomb that splatted him.

Once more, Roy respawned and super-jumped to Perry. He, too, was struggling as Geneva and Alexis were doing him in.

"You take Alexis," the tanned inkling told the pale boy. "I'm gonna get payback on Geneva."

Roy swung around Perry and starting shooting below him. Geneva, who was biting her lip, continued to shoot at the ramp, the ink colors switching from green to pink rapidly. It was almost times-up, he could feel it. It got to the point where he could use his special, and in an instant, a ball formed around Roy. He leaped, squishing Geneva and started to roll towards the enemy's spawn. He blew it up, covering the surrounding area in green ink. He threw a bomb at the spawn, despite no one being there. Shortly after it exploded, he heard ink being shot from behind him, and turned around to see the long-haired inkling once again, advancing on him. She managed to get a shot on him before a whistle blew, and everyone stopped.

Two black-and-white cats, Judd and Lil' Judd, appeared to survey the land. They danced for a little bit before the smaller cat pulled out a pink flag in triumph, with the larger one falling on his back.

"What?! We lost?!" Roy cried out in dismay. "But I thought we were doing so good!" All eight squids were launched back to the lobby, where a picture of a map was displayed. Though the boys had claimed the center, the girls worked on covering much of the boys' side of the map. He looked over at Yuri and Inigo. "What were you two doing?"

"I was trying to stop Octavia and Bonnie, I swear," Inigo cried. "But it's a little hard to outrun both a charger and a brush."

"Bon-Bon simply splatted me each time I aimed at her," Yuri explained. "Squiffers charge real quick, you know!"

"So…" started Bonnie, who walked up to them, charger in hand, "Does that mean I'm the MVP?"

Geneva pressed a button to display the stats. "You inked the most turf, it says here." She pointed to Bonnie's portrait. "So, you are the MVP." The only response the double-bunned inkling could give was a sweet smile.

"Alright, match is over, what now?" Roy queried as the elevator began to take them back to the base floor of the tower. He wanted to move past the defeat he just suffered.

"Why not grab something from Crusty Sean's?" Yuri suggested. "His food is my favorite."

"Right after a battle?" Octavia protested. "No thanks. Besides, his food is incredibly greasy."

"Nothing wrong with that," Alexis chimed in. "I'd eat his food for days! It's just that good!"

"I don't really see the point," argued Inigo. "His food is best right before a battle, and we just came out of one." His indigo eyes focused on Geneva. "But, I think Geneva should have the final say. She is going on vacation tomorrow, after all."

"If you ask me," the fair-skinned inkling opined, "we should go. It'll be my last meal from there for a while."

"Then it's settled," Roy announced. "We're going to the Crust Bucket…after we put away our weapons."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Perry agreed. "It'd be weird if we all show up with our stuff."

"What about me?" Alexis chirped. "I'm not in your group; am I allowed to use that room?"

"Well…" Octavia started, lost in thought. "…You can take Geneva's place after tomorrow."

"Are you okay with that?" the younger inkling asked, turning to face the long-haired inkling.

"I am," she answered.

"K. We got that figured out," Perry remarked. "Now, let's go."

As the inklings retired their weapons to the special room, they all headed outside the tower and headed towards the Crust Bucket. The rest of the day was gleeful as everyone (except Octavia) happily ate their meals, talking and laughing. When the night sky was apparent and everyone had to go home, it was only when they woke that the pain of a friend leaving felt worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! The Rainbow Squids have made their debut on AO3! I'll be adding each chapter daily until there's no more. After that, expect a bonus story on both here and Fanfiction.net on January 1st!


	2. The Splatfest Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Bonnie work together in the Mayo vs. Ketchup Splatfest.

_Octavia's PoV_

As Octavia exited her room with her fresh new Splatfest tee, she posed in front of Alexis, who was sitting in a chair playing a phone game. She knew her sister would not like her taste in condiments, but hey, she chose her favorite. She even bought a Seashell Bamboo Hat to have a more matching outfit.

"Alexis," she said. "I'm ready."

The red-clad inkling looked up at her older sister, and then her jaw dropped open. "You chose _Mayo_?!"

"Well, yeah. I like mayo," Via argued.

"Mayo's disgusting! It's all icky and gross and… ugh!" she groused. "Ketchup is clearly the superior one!"

"No, mayo is!"

"Ketchup!"

"Mayo!"

"Ketc-"

"Girls?" their mother called from downstairs. "Are you okay!"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Alexis called back. "It's just that Octavia likes mayo instead of ketchup!"

A sigh could be heard from their mother, but she made no other comment. Octavia shrugged and took this as the initiative to leave. She started to head down the stairs, and when her sister notice, she raced after her. They said goodbye to Mom and walked out of the townhouse. The streets were busy as fellow inklings rushed towards the square to participate in the Splatfest. Roy had texted Octavia to meet the Rainbow Squids there as well. Thus, they joined in the crowd squeezing through the streets to participate in the highly anticipated event.

Eventually, the two inklings arrived at the square. Indeed, it was crowded, as inklings everywhere partied alongside the jellyfish. Octavia looked around for her friends, and eventually spotted Perry, who was wearing his signature hat, of course, at one of the tables. The siblings ran to them, causing everyone to look behind them. To Via's dismay, the only other inkling that chose Mayo was Bonnie.

"So," Roy started, who was drinking an apple-flavored drink from the Crust Bucket, "you also chose Mayo."

"There's nothing wrong with that," the cream-clad inkling protested. "What if I like mayo? It's a Splatfest, we always choose sides."

"To be fair," Perry chimed in, leaning in his chair, "I was gonna choose Mayo, just for the joke, but it took some convincing from Yuri to choose what I actually wanted instead."

"Trust me, it was hard, but it worked," added the spiky-haired inkling.

"Well, if Via's on Mayo, then I have a partner now," Bonnie spoke up. "I was worried no one else would choose it."

"Are we still going to do the matching outfits?" asked Octavia. "Even though we're not all on Ketchup, isn't that what we agreed on."

"We were going to do matching outfits _if_ we all chose the same team," Roy clarified. He finished his drink and threw it towards a trash can. It missed. "We can't do that now."

"When have we ever all been on the same team?" Perry wondered.

"Uhh, remember Early Bird vs. Night Owl last year?" Yuri pointed out. "We all chose Night Owl!"

"Right, right," he muttered. "But still, we can all be Variety Warriors!" The inkling straightened and threw his hands up in enthusiasm.

"I like it better when we're all matching," Octavia murmured quietly. She often felt that they were more coordinated when they had matching outfits. And, it was usually her to plan all of these outfits, even if Roy and Perry weren't a big fan of them at times.

"Can't have everything," Alexis teased as she stepped next to Inigo. "Let's go, Team Ketchup!"

"If you say so," the ponytailed boy said. Everyone except Bonnie got up from their chairs and raced towards the tower. Even with new hosts, inklings were always enthusiastic when a Splatfest rolled around.

Bonnie walked up to Via, hands clasped. "Well… it's just you and me now."

"Maybe we could match," the wavy-haired inkling suggested. "Sure, it'll just be the two of us, but at least we'll have style!"

Bon-Bon adjusted her glasses. "Looks like I'll have to get my contacts out, then."

"Or I can just buy a pair of retro specs and pop the lenses out."

"That's a waste of glass."

"Whatever. It's more convenient."

The inkling with a double bun let out a long sigh before saying, "Do you want matching outfits or not?"

"Well... It's not required."

"It's a yes or no question."

"I don't know, that's a hard question to answer. On one hand, I would prefer matching outfits, but on the other hand, I just want to fight already."

"I'll flip a coin, then." Bon-Bon pulled a coin out of her pocket and set in the palm of her hand. "Heads or tails?"

"Heads," the orange-eyed inkling replied. "Brains can be better than brawn, sometimes!"

"It's just luck, you know."

"I know, but I just wanted to let you know why I chose heads."

"I didn't need to, but thanks. I'll flip this now." She threw it into the air, and it landed with a cling on the ground. Octavia kneeled down to see the result, and it was on the reverse side. "Looks like it's tails."

"Does that mean we're fighting now?"

"Yes." Bonnie picked up the coin and put it back into her pocket. "Let's go."

Via smiled. "Sounds like a plan." The two started heading towards the tower, having a brief conversation along the way. It took a while, considering how many inklings were crowding into it. When they arrived, Octavia found the interface to open up the room their weapons were stored in. The panel slid open, and the two crawled down it.

"Have a flashlight?" Bonnie asked.

"No," she responded, "but it isn't too dark in here." She squinted, making out three dark shapes in the room. "Looks like the others were already here."

"But Geneva's Splattershot is still here." The inkling pushed her glasses up and walked over to the shooter and picked it up, examining it. "I wonder why she didn't take it."

"It's a vacation," Octavia queried. "Why would she need to defend herself?"

"It's still a good idea to take one just in case."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now." She grabbed her Octobrush Nouveau. "Let's go."

"Alright." Bonnie grabbed the Classic Squiffer, and they headed upstairs. As soon as both of their feet was on the main floor, the panel slid right back over the opening. They gave a fist-bump to each other and headed to the elevator. Via leaned on the wall while waiting for more inklings to enter. A group of red-clad inklings squeezed their way into the elevator, and then a boy wearing a headband entered. The wavy-haired inkling did a head-count of them. Seven inklings, and they only needed one more.

Eventually, a girl wearing a jungle hat entered, and at last, the elevator began to descend. The familiar grate opened up beneath their feet, and everyone transformed into a squid to enter the arena. Shortly thereafter, she emerged in a strange-looking stage. Shifty Station, did Marina call it? It was nothing like she had ever seen. Soon enough, everyone started their advance. Octavia and Bonnie decided to go separate ways for their strategy.

Via went down a back alley, and jumped onto a platform. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as it started moving. She judged the best course of action was to move towards the edge of the platform to jump onto the mainland. She put the bristles to the ground and started running, stopping before she could fall. She went into squid form to hide, and once the platforms reconnected, she started swimming. She reemerged in the center and started spinning her brush around.

A cream beam formed beside her and quickly did globs of ink replace it. Via turned around to see Bonnie, aiming her Classic Squiffer at the turf. When she noticed the bronze-skinned inkling, she winked. Via winked back and turned her attention back to the main area. She put the bristles to the ground again and ran up the ramp, hoping to advance towards the enemy team. Her hopes were shattered when a dualie-wielding inkling popped out of the red ink and shot her until she was down.

She respawned at the beginning and decided to take the route Bon-Bon took the first time. Soon enough, she was met with another moving platform. She placed a Squid Beakon just before the moving part and hopped on, hiding in the ink. However, someone with a charger was splatting the ink onto the moving platform, noticing that Octavia was resting somewhere there. She reemerged and started moving, covering the red ink back up. The red beam marking the enemy's aim swung around widely, and a shot of ink fired every few seconds. _Must not be a good player_.

Octavia made her way onto the mainland again, where she found the dualie-wielding inkling shooting down below. She decided the best course of action was to attack him from behind. He might notice, but she would still have a pretty good shot at splatting him. She flicked the brush back and forth, covering the ramp back up in cream ink. She slipped through the ink and up the ramp, where she then placed the bristles down on the ground and started running. Unfortunately, the inkling with the dualies noticed her coming and rolled out of the way before her brush could hit him. He continued to rapid fire, and eventually Octavia had to retreat. She inked a path from where he was standing beforehand and jumped off the ledge.

In the meantime, Bonnie had remained undefeated. The beige-skinned inkling fired her Squiffer rapidly, covering a lot of ground. Her latest victim was an inkling wielding an Aerospray MG. She was caught in her line of fire and was splatted almost immediately. However, she didn't go unscathed. A suction bomb stuck to the side of the platform Bonnie resided on, and she ended up getting severely damaged by it. In an instant, she was gone into the ink, only ripples marking her retreating self.

The main battlefield was in complete chaos. The inkling with the charger kept aiming their shots, the dualie wielder kept firing below them, the inkling with the Aerospray returned, and an inkling with a slosher made her presence well known with her attacks on one of the moving platforms. The boy on their team—he wielded a Custom Splattershot Jr.—was having a hard time keeping up with the barrage the two girls on Team Ketchup were sending at him. To help out, Via charged towards them and slammed the slosher-wielding inkling with her Octobrush. Cream ink splatted around them as she went down, and the girl with the Aerospray had to wipe some ink off of her. The inkling with the headband took this change to splat her.

"Good job," Via complimented.

The headband inkling looked towards her and gave a nod. "Thanks," he replied, giving a friendly smile. "But now's not the time for chat."

He was right—a red beam appeared between them, and the two inklings moved out of the way. The inkling with the charger finally made himself visible, with a Splatterscope in his hand. He closed one eye to peer into the scope, the red beam indicating his aim. The boy made his way to the mainland and started to shoot at him. It was not very effective, as he went down with the inkling's next shot. The girl with the jungle hat then arrived—she held a Jet Squelcher—to take him down. She threw a flask at him, and suddenly he was surrounded with a cream mist. He moved away to avoid the toxic mist, but the girl started to shoot at him. The dualie wielder moved in to cover him. That was when Via went in.

Putting the bristles on the ground, Octavia ran up the ramp, circling around the two inklings. The charger wielder was aiming towards her, but the movement threw off his aim. Her vision started to spin a little bit as she became a little dizzy, but she had to do whatever she could to win. She lunged for him, and with a few swipes of her brush he splatted at last. With cream ink hitting the other inkling's back, he turned around to attack her instead. She swung her brush again, and the two splatted at the same time, red ink overpowering cream ink.

When she respawned, Octavia set out to find Bonnie. She quickly found her on the grate, aiming at the moving platform. The inkling with the slosher was trying to hit her.

"Go somewhere else," she commanded. "I'll take over."

"One thing first." While Via flicked globs of ink at the ground below, Bon-Bon stopped, and within a few moments, she was surrounded by a cream fog, and now, looking at her body, she was completely covered in hardened ink. _Ink Armor!_

"Booyah!" she cheered. "Thanks a lot!" The bronze-skinned inkling dropped down onto the platform and started to swing her brush around. The enemy inkling landed a hit on her, causing the ink armor to break, but while she frantically swung ink at her, Octavia started flicking her brush. Fortunately, the slosher wielder splatted, causing her to let out a sigh of relief. She painted the surrounding area, and decided to put her special weapon to use.

Octavia pulled out the Tenta Missiles Launcher and locked them on two inklings on the enemy's side. She pulled the trigger, and the missiles were sent flying towards them. She saw an explosion of cream ink in the distance, alongside a scream. She fist-pumped upon hearing it, and moved on. They had to be winning, right? She hid in the ink to recharge it, but the inkling with the Aerospray MG arrived once more. Ink spat out of it faster than anyone could ever think of, it was ridiculous. Sometimes she wished the blueprints to it were never found.

The inklings continued to duel until a whistle blew, and everyone stopped in their tracks. Octavia looked around for Judd, but alas, he had not arrived yet. It was to be expected, since it is a Splatfest, after all. Via leaned against a box while she waited for the two cats to arrive. She looked behind her to see a cream squid leaping from a platform next to her. The squid reformed into Bonnie.

"How long do you think this is gonna take?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe ten minutes, if we're lucky."

"Well, what will we do until then?"

"We sit here and wait." Octavia slumped to the ground and groaned. She hated waiting.

The two other inklings on their team approached them, weapons still in hand. They were disabled as a result from the match being other, but they were still good battering weapons.

"Have room for two more?" the female inkling asked.

"Of course," responded Bonnie. The two strangers sat down next to them. The boy twiddled his thumbs while the girl started up a conversation. They found out her name was Debbie, which caused them to press the name out of the boy. Eventually, he confessed his name to be Will.

"Doesn't Octavia rhyme with Octavio?" Will pointed out. "You know, that one Octarian in the history books. I heard some girl did something to that guy, too."

"You found the reason why I go by Via most of the time," she said without much enthusiasm. Being named Octavia was more than a coincidence than anything, but people still pointed out her name for the aforementioned reason. It was not something she was very proud of, so she rarely, if ever, referred to herself as Octavia. Her friends still did so either way.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Must be a touchy subject, huh?" He placed a hand on his chest. "Alright, I'll make sure to call you Via if I ever see you again."

"Are you and Bonnie friends?" Debbie asked. "You look like you know each other."

"We are, actually," Bon-Bon confirmed. "Our friend group is called the Rainbow Squids."

"The Rainbow Squids… That name sounds familiar," the inkling wearing the jungle hat pondered.

"We were a group, even back when people still hung out at Inkopolis Plaza," Octavia added. "Turf wars have only helped us grow even closer."

"Oh, Inkopolis Plaza!" Debbie exclaimed. "I remember that place. I remember being so excited when I was old enough to participate in turf wars. I turned 14 a few days before the Past vs. Future Splatfest. That alone made me eligible for participation."

"…I just turned 14," Will muttered.

"Hey, guys!" a female voice called. Looking up at the platform, it was the girl with the slosher. "Judd and Lil' Judd are here!"

"Finally!" Octavia exclaimed. "It felt like forever!"

"..It's only been about five minutes," Bonnie pointed out.

"My point still stands."

The inklings looked up at one of the neon signs, where Judd and Lil' Judd were standing. Exhaustion had made its mark on the larger cat, but the little one was as energetic as ever. They began to dance, and Lil' Judd struck out a cream flag, leaving Judd to gape.

"Booyah!" Will cheered, with everyone else following him. "We won!"

Octavia and Bonnie exchanged glances. "Hey, we really did win," the former said.

"Don't get cocky," the latter started, "we could end up on a bad losing streak after this."

"We can look for the others after we leave. Maybe they'll be waiting a little bit before their next match."

"Kinda doubt it, but I guess it doesn't hurt trying."

Soon enough, they all transformed into squids and super-jumped back to the lobby. A map popped up on the interface, showing the coverage. Though most of the inklings on the opposing team were upset, one of them, the one with the charger, studied the map with curiosity.

"We were so close," he concluded. "In the end, it all came down to chance."

"Good advice, Dan," the inkling with the dualies started, "but we still didn't win."

"Well, you guys had fun, didn't you?" Debbie interrupted. "We all tried really hard to win."

"And we won instead!" Will added.

"Still," said the the girl with the Aerospray, arms crossed with a grimace across her face.

"Moving on," said Dan. He pressed a button, showing the stats. He turned his head to face the girl that just spoke. "Why am I not surprised you covered the most turf on our team?"

"Because, that's the way I roll," she argued.

"Enough with you," Octavia butted in. "I want to see how my team did." She stepped next to the inkling with the charger and looked at her own team's stats. She covered the most turf, no surprise there. She was a little surprised that Debbie did not cover much turf with her Jet Squelchers, but it did not matter. They still won either way. She stepped back. "I'm done there. Elevator, take us down to the lobby!"

Without any more complaints, the elevator immediately began to go down, and after a minute or two, the doors opened up, and the two friends stepped out. The other inklings in the elevator waved goodbye as they headed away from the elevators and into the main part of the lobby. No one was exaggerating when they said the tower was bigger in the inside—it really was. Somehow, despite all the chaos, it was able to hold thousands, maybe even a million, of inklings. This only made it harder to search for their friends, as they would all be caught up in the chaos. The two tried calling out their names to see if anyone would respond.

"I heard a Roy?" inquired an inkling with hair in a ponytail.

"Not you," Octavia grumbled, pushing him away.

"What about an Alexis?" asked an inkling with long hair.

"I'm not talking about you, either."

"Via! Bon-Bon!" called a familiar voice. "Yuri is here!" The dark-skinned inkling pushed through the crowd, giving a thumbs up. His headphones hung around his neck, revealing his ears.

"Now, that's the Yuri I'm looking for," beamed Octavia. "Glad to see you."

"Where are the others?" Bonnie immediately chimed in.

"Nice to see you all, too," Yuri greeted. He stepped out of the way, gesturing for their other friends to arrive, except for Alexis. Where was her sister? "We were waiting for Alexis to come out of a match."

"I wonder why she isn't back yet," confessed Inigo. "If you two just finished, then she should be coming out soon, too."

"Hey, maybe she's gonna do some matches in a row," Perry suggested. "Could explain it."

"But why is she out there alone in the first place?!" cried Via.

"We don't have enough room on our team to fit her in," Inigo replied.

"I told her we could swap out after a match or two," Roy added, and then sighed. "I really hope she isn't doing two…"

"It is a solid plan," Bonnie pointed out. The other inklings murmured in agreement.

"…The execution didn't go as planned," Inigo finished. "Ah, well. What can we do about it now?"

"Well, I'm changing this plan once Alexis comes out," the inkling with his hair swept to the side seethed. "This is ridiculous! It'd be even worse if she completely forgot!"

"Look on the bright side," Yuri encouraged. "You'll get what you want eventually."

Roy squeezed the handle of his Luna Blaster, and huffed as he turned his back on the group. He did not say another word. The group now stood there in awkward silence, waiting for Via's sister to arrive. She was not a fan of the silence between them, she still wanted to talk. But what was there to talk about? She was still worried about her sister, and now Roy refused to even talk to them. _Think about something else,_ a voice in her head nagged. _You could go shopping after the Splatfest is over!_ Regardless, the orange-eyed inkling still stood her ground.

A few minutes later, she heard a familiar voice call the Team Ketchup squids' names. _Alexis!_ her mind immediately thought.

"We're over here!" called Yuri.

"Finally!" burst the red-eyed inkling. "I've been waiting for so long!"

Eventually, the short-haired inkling pushed her way through the crowd and popped out in front of them, dualies still in hand. She still beamed in happiness.

"Where were you?" Roy scolded. "We've been waiting for so long!"

Alexis frowned, and lowered her arms. "I'm sorry! I thought you guys were also doing another match!"

"Ha!" Perry chortled. "I was right!" A smirk crept up the purple-eyed inkling's lips. The tanned inkling gave a glare at him, and the pasty inkling then bit his lip, avoiding his gaze.

The ponytailed inkling walked over to the younger inkling and patted her head. "Don't worry," he said, "We understand. Wanna switch out now?"

"Sure." Alexis managed a smile and stepped over to stand beside Roy. He grumbled and walked off, allowing her to take his place. The young inkling looked between the rest of the Rainbow Squids, hands shaking ever-so-slightly. She took a deep breath and then muttered something unintelligible to herself.

"Well, another match, squids?" Yuri spoke up, a big smile still on his face. The others cheered and ran off to the elevator.

Bonnie looked over at Via. "Well, should we do another match?"

"Is that even a question?! Of course!"

The two laughed, and they followed the rest of the Rainbow Squids to the elevator for their next match.


	3. Feedback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri helps Perry record his latest rap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Marina's Mayo vs. Ketchup result dialogue comes from the official game. I do not own it.

_Yuri's PoV_

The day after the Splatfest, all the Rainbow Squids gathered around their usual table, anxiously looking at the giant screen plastered onto the tower, waiting for the next Off the Hook broadcast. They already returned their shirts and reverted back to their usual colors. Now, it was only a matter of time. The entirety of Inkopolis was watching, awaiting the results of the Mayo vs. Ketchup Splatfest. Soon enough, the familiar intro of the idols came on, and everyone in the square cheered.

"Y'all know what time it is!" Pearl introduced.

"It's Off the Hook, coming at you _live_ from Inkopolis Square," Marina concluded.

The transition played, and the short inkling said, "Marina! Before you announce the stages, why don't you share the breaking news?"

"Breaking news? What did you break this time?"

"I didn't break anything! I was talking about the Splatfest results!" The crowd roared as soon as Pearl finished.

" _Ooh_! The Splatfest results are in!"

"Aight, first let's see which team was the most popular."

"Let's find out!" The two made some noise as numbers flashed on the screen, and then cheered once it displayed the results. It was pretty obvious that Ketchup was the more popular of the two.

"Why am I not surprised?" Roy deadpanned.

"Aw, man…" Pearl whined.

"Yes..."

"All right, all right, all right… Now for the part that matters."

"Yeah, popularity isn't everything."

"Time to see which team won the most battles!"

"Please please please…!" The two made some noise again, and cheered when the results came on screen. Mayo had won both solo and team.

" _What?!_ " Roy cried out in dismay. Looking around, several other inklings apparently had the same reaction. "But we were on such a great winning streak!"

"So were we," Octavia argued.

" _Shhh,_ be quiet!" Bonnie hushed. "I want to listen!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Pearl cried.

"Wow!" Marina gasped.

"OK, y'all. It's time…"

"The final results!"

"The winner of this Splatfest is…" Marina audibly gulped. They cheered as the final results came on screen, and the pale inkling cheered, "Ayo! It's Mayo!"

"Ugh…"

"It's mayo all day, yo! They know we don't play, yo! Best stay out my Headspace 'cause I'm coming with that Cray Flow!" she rapped. In the corner of his eye, Yuri noticed Perry clasp his hands together and stare up at the screen with wonder. He wasn't surprised; the singer was a huge inspiration for the purple-haired inkling's music.

"Wow. A rap song about mayonnaise. I'm sure that'll tear up the charts." Marina did not look too terribly thrilled with Team Mayo's win; it was obvious.

"Shout out to Team Mayo! We did it, y'all!"

"If you participated in the Splatfest, your prizes are waiting in the Square!"

After that, the duo went on to announce the current stages, but that was when the Rainbow Squids stopped paying attention. And by extension, it was also when everyone else in the square stopped paying attention. From this point on, everyone was talking about the results.

"I still can't believe it!" Roy continued to complain. "Ketchup was way more popular, how did Mayo win?!"

"Clearly, mayo is the superior condiment," Via bragged, a smirk coming on her face.

"No, it's ketchup!" Alexis complained, "We've been over this, Via!"

"Well, if mayo won, then it really is the superior condiment!" her sister argued.

"It's still ketchup!"

"Mayo!"

"Ketchup!"

"Mayo!"

"Hey guys, stop." Inigo stood up and threw his hands out. "Mayo won, and that's the end of it."

"Besides, maybe your team will win next time!" Yuri added.

"And," Perry started. "I need to get to the studio."

"Please don't tell me you're gonna stalk Pearl…" Roy moaned. "I knew one day it would happen."

"No! Of course not!" the purple-haired inkling objected. "My dad rented out a portion of it so I can record songs! It's for today only." Inspired by the Squid Sisters, Perry decided that his life-long goal was to become a famous musician. Admittedly, he was not real good at it, as most of his songs sounded the same, but nonetheless, Yuri still supported it. Music connoisseur or not, he was still his friend. The encouragement always seemed to cheer up Perry, and the yellow-haired inkling was glad to see him that way.

"Really?!" Alexis gasped. "That's so fresh!"

"I know, right?" he effused. "I can't believe I'm gonna be in the same building as Pearl! …And record some new music with the latest technology, of course. Anyone wanna come with me?"

"I'll come," Yuri offered. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"I don't know, I kinda want to search for jobs today," Roy vacillated. He appeared to have calmed down from the earlier outcry. "I got a work permit a while back, and my mom wants me to do something about it."

"Why not Starfish Drinks?" Bonnie suggested. "It's my favorite coffee shop."

"Isn't that a little far from the square?" Octavia asked.

"There's one near here," the beige-skinned inkling replied, pointing eastward, past the tower. "It's a little far from your house, sure, but it's still very close to the square."

"Great idea, Bon-Bon!" Roy exclaimed. "I'll go over there now!" The red-haired inkling hopped out of his chair and ran off, past the studio, deeper into the city of Inkopolis.

"I swear, one day that ego's gonna get the better of him…" Via muttered. She cleared her throat. "I was planning on doing a few ranked matches. Anyone wanna come?"

"I've never played a ranked battle before," Alexis admitted. "What is it like?"

"Well, there's a few different modes you can do," Inigo chimed in. "Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Splat Zones!"

"I've heard rumors that they're planning on adding a new mode to the mix," Yuri added.

"Well, regardless, that's all the modes," the fair-skinned inkling concluded. "You can try one with Via, if you'd like?"

"Why just Via?" the short-haired inkling asked. "Why can't you come along?"

"Eh, Grizzco's open," he replied. "I'm gonna work a shift there."

"Oh, can I come along?" Bonnie asked the ponytailed inkling. "I love doing Salmon Runs!"

"Of course." His eyes flashed between the remaining inklings. "Anyone else wanna come along?"

"No thanks," Yuri declined. He threw an arm around Perry. "I'm gonna stick with Perry."

"Aw, thanks man," the inkling wearing a king flip mesh stated. "I knew I could count on ya."

"Well, then it's settled," Octavia concluded. "Me and Alexis will go to the tower, Inigo and Bonnie will go to Grizzco's, and Yuri and Perry will go to the study."

"Right!" everyone agreed.

"Well, cheers!" The wavy-haired inkling tipped her hat and headed off towards the tower with her sister.

"Bye." Bonnie and Inigo headed towards the alleyway Grizzco's resided in.

"Bye-bye!" the pale-skinned inkling shouted, waving goodbye to the departing inklings. He started walking in the direction of the study. "Come on, Yuri! Let's go!"

The dark-skinned inkling caught up with Perry. "Hey, betcha I can get to the studio first!"

"Oh, no, I will!" He started to run, with Yuri following after him. The headphones brought the spiky-haired inkling down a little bit, but he could manage. Being a little more long-legged, he was able to run faster than his friend, and eventually surpassed him. Behind him, he heard a suppressed cry.

By the time they arrived at the studio's door, Yuri was panting from the sprint. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, while Perry caught up with him. When he arrived, he bent over, grabbing his knees.

"Told ya." Yuri stuck his tongue out and winked.

"No fair!" he cried. "You're taller!"

"But look on the bright side. We're here now, aren't we?"

"…I guess." Perry narrowed his eyes at the other inkling. "I'm still gonna hold that against ya."

"Well, you'll catch up eventually." The purple-haired inkling let out a _hmph_ , and without another word, the two inklings entered the studio.

The pale inkling pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "The recording room is in Room 123, according to this. There's gonna be a guy there that'll let us in after he sees the pass." The dark-skinned inkling nodded, and the two traversed the hallway. In Room 101, where Off the Hook's broadcast happened, several inklings were showing their VIP pass to go in and talk to them. Sometimes, Yuri wished his parents allowed him to buy one. He's always wanted to meet the members of Off the Hook, but the passes were limited. They were a little pricy, too.

After pushing through several people, the crowd eventually thinned, and the two inklings were able to navigate the studio pretty quickly. Using the signs, they eventually found a sign labeled '123' hanging over a door. Next to the door was an inkling in a suit and sunglasses. They walked up to him, and Perry presented his pass. The guard nodded, and they were allowed in. Once the door shut, the purple-haired inkling opened the laptop sitting on the table. He opened up a recording program, and then plugged it into the mixing console.

"So, what do I have to do?" asked Yuri. "I've never been in a recording studio before."

"Have you used this?" countered Perry, who pointed to the console.

"Once." He gave a small chuckle. "It didn't turn out so good last time I used it."

"Hmm…" The purple-haired ink fiddled around with the settings of the console, and once he was done, he gestured towards it. "Don't touch it, and it'll be fine."

"Sounds great," the spiky-haired inkling concluded. "Now, get in there and give it your all!"

"One last thing—give me the thumbs up when I'm ready to go, alright?" He leaned towards the computer for a moment to move the cursor towards the red record button. "Press this to start. And don't start until I'm in there."

"I know, I know. I've recorded your songs before, ya know."

"Hey, a refresher always helps!" Perry opened the door to the booth, and winked. "Alright, time to go." He closed the door and walked to the center of the booth, picking up the microphone and holding it with both hands. He gave a smile to his friend, though Yuri guessed he was already getting impatient. Quickly, he clicked the record button, and some beats began to play. He was not surprised; Perry used this general beat in almost every one of his songs, to the point where Yuri was surprised when the beat was different. He gave a thumbs up to the purple inkling, and he began to sing.

"Yo, Pearl, this one goes to you," he started. The dark-skinned inkling bit his tongue to suppress a laugh. _A rap song about Pearl. Man, I wonder what she'll think once this is uploaded on SplatCloud._

"And sure, it'll go to me, too. / Everyone knows you're so small, / But that doesn't stop me from being so tall. / You're 4'9" and I'm 5'5", / Maybe we can flock to a hive." The part about Perry's height was probably true. For his age, he was short, only surpassing Bonnie and Alexis in height. Considering how short Pearl was, her height was probably accurate as well.

"You are like a work of art, / Only vandalism can tear you apart." Now, that was a weird line, Yuri had to admit. "But who would vandalize you? / Everybody loves you. / Except the haters, / They can go laters." _Is 'laters' even a word?_ He did not want to find out at this moment.

"Now I know you're 21, / And I'm 16, / But I know you're the one, / Even if I watch you from a screen!" Upon the declaration that Pearl was 21 years old, Yuri pulled out his phone to search up the idol on Inkipedia for the sole purpose of finding out her age and height. Turns out, he was correct. _Hmm, he really does do his research!_ Yuri complimented silently. The beat started to pick up a little bit. "Oh, if you only knew what I wanna do, / You can probably guess, can't you?" Now, the beat started to really pick up. _The chorus,_ the yellow-haired inkling presumed.

"You're my fantasy, / My ecstasy, / Everything I dream is of you! / Would you believe it too? / Don't be scared, / You can be bared!" That line alone increased the awkwardness in the room. _Imagine if Pearl walked into here. She'd be so weirded out,_ Yuri thought. He tried to suppress a laugh at the funny thought, but he couldn't help but giggle. Perry seemed to glare upon seeing him laugh, and immediately did the spiky-haired squid go back to a poker face. "You know, Pearl? / You can be my everything, girl! / It's to say how much I love you! / Even if you don't love me too. / But in the end, / I have a heart to tend."

"When I first saw you, / I knew that it was true, / It was love, wasn't it? / The love bug has bit. / Maybe you say it's an obsession, / I don't want you to be a possession." Octavia had often called Perry's love for Pearl an obsession. _Maybe he took that for inspiration for this line_ , Yuri pondered. "You earned your name. / The waves came, / To bless Inkopolis with its pearl. / It really is a whirl! / Marina is lucky, / to have a friend who isn't yucky!"

Perry began to sing the bridge again, followed by the chorus. Yuri leaned back in his chair. He still did not really like this song, but he liked the devotion he had towards making a love song to one of the biggest idols in Inkopolis. Despite his wild dreams, he was still his friend. He would support him, no matter what he did. Unless he kills someone; that would be when their relationship would sour. Right now, the song's tune was rather generic, and the purple-haired inkling was admittedly not the best singer, but he still put heart into his lyrics. That is what Yuri thought made him stand out from all of the other SplatCloud rappers.

There was a pause in his words, leaving just the trap music to play, but soon enough, Perry started to sing again. "With your pearly-white hair, / and your willingness to dare, / I'm surprised some people compare you to Marie, / Whose only similarity is the snark she can carry." _Some die-hard fans of the Squid Sisters won't like that,_ Yuri thought. He then thought of one boy who went to their school, who had a Squid Sisters pin on his backpack and blasted their music all the time. "But why compare? / Who gives a care? / Haters can hate on Off the Hook, / But you won't see the cook! / And either way, / I love you, K? / Nothin' can change that, / Not even Judd the cat!"

Perry finished off his song with only the chorus, and at the end, he let out a "booyah," and dropped his microphone. To Yuri, that marked the end of the song, so he hit the stop button on the computer. Excited, the inkling with bangs burst out of the booth and ran over to the computer. Grinning, he said, "Hey, hey, can I see it?"

"Yeah." Yuri pushed the laptop over to him, and he proceeded to press the play button. The song he had just sung played back to the two, and Perry closed his eyes and hummed along. Yuri leaned back in his chair, managing to muster a smile. He could not share his friend's enthusiasm for the song, unfortunately. Perry proceeded to play the song over and over again, editing it ever-so-slightly to make sure it was perfect. When he asked how it sounded, the dark-skinned inkling simply said it was fine.

During a later rep of the song, Yuri could make out some voices coming in their direction under the loud trap music. He could not make out any words, but he hoped that they did not hear the song. It would be too awkward if anyone came in during a playback of it. Yet, to his misfortune, the door suddenly swung open. The two inklings turned their heads to look at the newcomers, right during the bridge, and immediately did Perry's face turn as red as ketchup.

Standing in the doorway was Pearl herself, who had an eyebrow raised. When the chorus started, she bit her lip. Contrary to her usual peppy nature, the idol stayed silent during the whole song. Marina peeked into the room to see what was going on. She, too, did not really say anything in regards to the song. Next to them was the guard outside of Room 123.

Once the song was over, with a frantic expression, Perry began to stutter, "I-I-I…"

Pearl held up a hand. "No need to explain. I get these all the time."

While the purple-haired inkling turned away in embarrassment, Yuri spoke up for his friend. "But what do you think of it? Do you like it?"

"I dunno," she simply replied, and shrugged. "Lemme guess. You gonna upload it to SplatCloud?"

"He… probably will." The yellow-haired inkling pushed back his chair to look at Perry. "Are you?" He did not respond, hiding his face with his hands. Due to this, he refocused his yellow eyes on the idol. "Well, I'll assume he will."

"I'd hate to chime in," interrupted Marina. "But, does your friend have any other songs about Pearlie?"

Yuri paused, searching his memory for every time he has helped Perry record a song. "He wrote a song about Off the Hook," he recalled. "But no, there's no others specifically about Pearl. At least, I don't think so." The pale inkling, of course, did not weigh in on the matter.

The funny-looking inkling made a small sound of disappointment, but her fellow idol continued on the conversation. "Well… Hey, Perry, That's ya name, isn't it?" Perry lifted his head and turned around in this seat to look at Pearl. "That song wasn't that bad. Better than some other songs."

"Really?" he murmured.

"Trust me. Some kids just don't have any energy in their songs, y'know?" the short inkling encouraged. Marina made a sound of agreement.

He took off his king flip mesh, revealing the rest of his hair, and gave a small smile. "…Thanks." The blush on his face seemed to have faded ever-so-slightly. "You fine with me uploading it?"

"Well, yeah!" Pearl responded. "Y'know I don't really look at SplatCloud itself. Only the songs emailed to me."

Yuri was not exactly relieved by her statement, but at least he was assured that the idol would not come across it again. _One time's enough,_ he thought. It was bad enough that she heard it the first time. "Alright, then," the yellow-haired inkling started, standing up. "Let's export the song to the flash drive!"

"There's a flash drive?" puzzled Perry, his attention immediately snapping back to his friend. Yuri pointed to a pink flash drive connected to the computer. It was covered in SquidForce stickers. "Oh, I didn't notice that!"

The two inklings huddled around the laptop to finish the process of making a song. Once it was saved to the flash drive, the pale-skinned inkling pulled it out of the piece of technology. He put it in his pocket and started to head towards the door. "Well, I'm leaving. Bye, everyone!" Off the Hook stepped out of the doorway to let him past, and Yuri quickly followed him out of the room.

When they exited the studio, Perry plopped down onto the bench and groaned. He put his cap back on to hide his face. Yuri put his hand on his chin, scratching it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That. Went. Horribly." Perry slouched. "Pearl, out of all people, came in while it was playing. _Pearl_. Do ya understand how bad that is for me?!"

"Look on the bright side," the other inkling tried to encourage. "She didn't think it was bad."

"That won't look good on my resume."

"Wait, you're searching for a record company?"

"Well, yeah. All musicians have to do something to make themselves famous."

Yuri paused, and eventually said, "Good point. Still, though. Pearl liked your song, and that should be all that matters, right?" He smirked. "I liked it myself, too." The last sentence was a lie, but he didn't want Perry getting any more upset than he already is. Sugar-coating things was Yuri's specialty.

"Whatever." The purple-haired inkling got up from his seat and started to head away from the square. "I'm going home. Bye."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No."

The dark-skinned inkling frowned, and plopped onto his friend's former seat. Yet, his mouth lifted into a smile again when he realized something. _He's gonna upload anyways. Even if he doesn't want to tell me._ He leaned back against the bench, and threw his hands behind his head. _Guess we'll have to wait and see_.


	4. Adventure, Start!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Great Zapfish goes missing, Alexis is determined to find it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.
> 
> Pearl's and Marina's dialogue, as well as most of Marie's dialogue, is taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

A week after the release of Perry's latest song, an urgent broadcast suddenly came on the giant screen situated on the tower. It was an odd time, as the latest stages were announced only a few minutes ago. Everyone looked at each other with confusion. What was going on?

"Uh… Why is our producer freaking out?" Pearl asked. "Read the teleprompter, Marina!"

"Huh? Let's see here…" Marina started. She scratched the turntable, and an image came on screen. "THIS JUST IN! The Great Zapfish has… disappeared?!"

The announcement came with gasps of shock and fear, mostly from the younger inklings. The most that affected Alexis was anxiety. From school, she learned that the Great Zapfish powered all of Inkopolis. What happened if it disappeared?

Octavia must have noticed her shaking, as she put a hand on her shoulder. The young inkling looked up at her older sister. "Don't worry," she tried to calm her. "This happened a few years ago. It came back within a month or two, no problem."

"But what if it doesn't?!" she cried. "Inkopolis will go dark!"

"Wait, like, for reals?!" Pearl exclaimed from the screen. "I feel like I've heard this story somewhere before…" Strangely enough, her statement echoed the start of the sisters' conversation.

"It's like Via said," Perry added. "It'll come back. Just gotta give it time."

"Maybe it went on vacation or something," Yuri joked. Everyone laughed at his joke except Alexis. The bronze-skinned inkling frowned. She hated being left out of the loop, especially when the Rainbow Squids treated her as if she was Geneva. She just didn't get it. _Why is no one else worried?!_ said the frantic thought that popped into Alexis's head.

"There's more!" Marina added. She scratched the turntables once more, and an image of a black-haired inkling popped up on the mini-screen. "Pop superstar Callie of the Squid Sisters has gone missing!" Again, more gasps, more than the previous announcement, were garnered by the revelation.

"Not Callie!" Bonnie cried. "Oh, I hope Geneva doesn't hear about this…"

"NOOOO! NOT CALLIE!" Pearl cried. "This is terrible! Do something, Marina!"

"Uh… OK, I'll put together a search part-"

"Whatever." The short inkling suddenly interrupted. "I'm sure they'll turn up at some point. In other news…"

"But shouldn't we form a search party or someth-" The screen suddenly cut, with Pearl announcing that they ran out of the time. With this, Off the Hook did their outro, and the screen resumed to be flashing images of various media.

"Okay, I was fine with the Great Zapfish going missing… _twice_ ," Roy started, a determined look sparkling in his red eyes, "but Callie going missing? That's _too_ far."

"Okay, can you guys explain to me why you're so calm when the source of all power goes missing, but freak out when some random pop star goes missing?" Alexis chimed in.

"Oh, Callie isn't just any old pop star," the tanned inkling pointed out. "She's _the_ pop star. One of the world-famous Squid Sisters!"

"Again, she's a _pop star_ ," the inkling with chin-length hair deadpanned. "Still didn't answer my question."

"It came back the first time around," Inigo commented. "We don't really have a reason to be worried."

"I don't remember the first time around," Alexis protested. "Please, I'd really like to see the report for the first time?"

"Give me a sec." The indigo-haired inkling pulled out his fittingly-indigo phone, and after a few minutes, he showed the screen to the young inkling. It was a SplatTube video, and he began to play it. It was eerily similar to Off the Hook's recent broadcast, but it instead featured a black-haired inkling and a grey-haired inkling. "You see, this," he said while pointing to the black-haired inkling, "is Callie, and this," he continued while pointing to the other inkling, "is Marie."

"Okay…" She raised an eyebrow at the whole ordeal. "What did you guys think the first time the Great Zapfish went missing."

"Trust me, we were freaking out," Via replied. "Especially since it was around the time we first formed the Rainbow Squids."

"Have I mentioned that Geneva's learning how to be an electrician?" Yuri added. "She started an apprenticeship about the time the Great Zapfish came back."

"Is that related to her vacation?" Alexis asked.

"Oh, no!" Perry was the next inkling to speak up. "She just went because she wanted to. Doubt it has anything to do with zapfish."

"Back to the Great Zapfish," Via snapped. Everyone went quiet as soon as she spoke, and in a gentler tone, she continued. "Like I said, you really shouldn't be worried. It'll come back."

"And if doesn't…?" Alexis probed.

"Oh, that's when Inkopolis would really shut down. Everyone would be freaking out." The bronze-skinned inkling tried to suppress a giggle. "But, it shouldn't get to that point. Callie, on the other hand…"

"She has to come back some time!" Roy interrupted. "Oh, I really hope Marina goes through with those search parties."'

The young inkling clenched her fist. Would they stop talking about idols for just one second?! She did not care for any of them. The only reason why she knew the members of Off the Hook's names was because of their constant, frequent appearance on the big screen on Deca Tower. Her eyebrows furrowed and her lip curled, revealing part of her pearly-white teeth.

"Alright, I've had enough," Alexis snapped with such ferocity that even Via was taken aback. "If you squids are just gonna talk about Callie all day, then I'm leaving." She turned her back on them and started walking away from their usual table. "Bye, bye. See you tomorrow."

"Alexis!" Octavia yelled. "Come back here!"

The orange-haired inkling didn't even bother answering. She continued walking towards the tower, but all of a sudden, she noticed something unusual in the corner of her eyes. She turned her head around to look back at the Rainbow Squids. Immediately after her departure, they all went back to looking at their phones. Typical. She refocused her attention on the strange sight. A woman holding a green Brella stood on top of a grate. From what else she could see, the inkling wore a kimono, but the umbrella hid the rest of her from sight. Alexis took a few steps towards her. The mysterious inkling looked over her shoulder, and, with a small gasp, she suddenly dissolved through the grate in a blob of lime green ink.

Alexis walked over to the grate, peering into it. It seemed to be an ordinary grate, disregarding the fact that an inkling just went through it. She sat on it, and pulled her knees to her chest. What was she going to do now? The mysterious inkling showed no signs of coming back, though perhaps it had something to do with Alexis's presence on the grate. She stood up, and looked into it again. She looked back at her sister's friends. They still remained at their usual table. Her orange eyes refocused on the grate. _I suppose no one would notice if I go investigate_. And with that, she let herself go into squid form, and she slipped through the grate.

She travelled through it, and the inkling popped out on the steel base of a grassy, floating island. A few feet in front of her lied a small pink-and-green shack, complete with lanterns and a symbol on a curtain. The mysterious inkling from earlier stood with her back turned to Alexis, but now she could get a better look at her. Her hair was tipped green, though the majority of it was a pale grey, almost white. Oddly enough, she looked familiar…

"Hmm… The Octarians…" muttered the woman. Alexis raised an eyebrow. Octarians? Weren't those the creatures mentioned in her history textbooks? The inkling turned around, revealing her golden eyes, like stars. "Hey… You showed up!" she exclaimed, the inkling giving a small smile.

"Yeah… What about it?" asked the bronze-skinned inkling, scratching her head.

"As soon as I saw you aimlessly wandering around the square, I knew you were the one," the other inkling replied. "I'm Marie. I know you're probably a bit starstruck, but I need you to get over it."

"What?" This was getting confusing. Marie was the name of the other Squid Sister, right?

"Yes, I'm THAT Marie," she clarified, doing a hand gesture to prove her point. "You know… from the Squid Sisters." Alexis just gave the other inkling a blank, yet confused, stare. When no reaction was garnered, she gasped, "You've never heard of me? For eel?"

"I mean, my sister and her friends talk about you a lot," the orange-haired inkling clarified. "But me? Not really."

The tips of Marie's mouth pointed downwards ever-so-slightly, and then she said, "Well, you obviously aren't very cultured, but you'll have to do."

"What do you mean, I'll have to do?!"

"See, I've got a little… thing I need some help with. By now you've heard that the Great Zapfish that powers Inkopolis Square is missing."

"I know!" Alexis exclaimed. "But everyone I've talked to seemed more concerned with your sister-"

"Cousin," Marie interrupted to clarify.

"Whatever. Anyways, I'm pretty sick of squids talking about Callie. And it's only been like, what, ten minutes since that was announced."

The idol paused and let out a sigh of exasperation, but she continued her explanation afterwards. "Well, it's not just missing—it's been squidnapped by the Octarian menace!" The inkling with chin-length hair gasped. "How do I know this?" Alexis cursed silently. She was just about to ask this question! "On the surface, I may just look like an absurdly talented pop star… But in truth… I'm Agent 2 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, a secret society of heroes who save the world from Octarians!"

"My sister's friend dressed up as a hero for Halloween once," Alexis interrupted. "She has a picture of herself and her friends dressed up from an old Splatfest years ago in her room."

"Trust me, we aren't exactly the heroes you're thinking of," Marie clarified. "We don't have superpowers or anything, just ourselves." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, I've been trying to keep an eye on the Octarians in my downtime, but I'm a busy girl." She muttered something quietly, and then she made a bold declaration: "I need YOU to go get the Great Zapfish back from those slimy Octarians!"

" _What?!_ " The cry was so loud, she bet that even Geneva could hear it, wherever she was. "Me, getting the Great Zapfish?! There's no way I can do that!"

"Of course you can do it," Marie encouraged. "Agent 3 confessed she had those same fears to us a little while after she saved the Great Zapfish the first time around. And I'll admit—her skill is amazing. If she could do it, I'm sure you can, too." She smiled. "So, what do you say? Are you in?" Alexis looked around nervously. Whoever Agent 3 was had mad skill, according to Marie's praise. She could never live up to her expectations. She wasn't sure what to do. Eventually, the older inkling just stated, "I'll take your awkward silence as a yes."

The inkling went back inside her shack, and she quickly came out with a set of clothes, alongside a shooter. "Welcome aboard!" she greeted, presenting the clothes and shooter to Alexis. Not sure what to say, she simply took the clothes and weapon from her. "You are now Agent 4 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. I even bought you a brand-new Hero Suit as a signing bonus. Go try it on."

Alexis gave a simple nod, and she went into the shack to change. She examined herself in the mirror present there. The headset felt a little heavy on her head, but she did like the hoodie she was wearing. It was only the boots that bothered her. They looked kind of ugly, in her opinion. Though Marie's earlier statement might prove otherwise, the outfit did remind her of the hero costume Geneva wore for Halloween one year. The bronze-skinned inkling then picked up the weapon lying on the dresser and came out of the shack. She tried to manage a toothy smile.

"And look at that!" the other inkling exclaimed. "It fits like a glove!" She muttered something, and then she declared, "Now, let's go tear those Octarians from limb from limb from limb…" The idol trailing off garnered another blank stare from Alexis. Once she realized this, she finished, "Well… you get the picture."

"So…" the bronze-skinned inkling started, tapping her foot on the ground. "How will I do this?"

"The entrances of the Octarian realm are invisible," explained Marie. "You'll have to ink them to reveal them."

"Seriously?!" she cried. "I just have to throw ink around until something pops up?"

"You'll have a faint idea where they are once you're near one," the fair-skinned inkling replied. "They're kind of like giant boxes—just ink them until it breaks, er, pops up."

Alexis nodded and started walking across the bridge. In the main area, parts of the land were covered in a magenta ink. She ignored them for now.

"Remember," called Marie. "If you see anything weird-looking, blast it with ink!" The first thing Alexis noticed was a kettle of some sorts, so she walked up to it and began to ink it with the shooter. She was used to having only one weapon to shoot with, so this was kind of a new experience for her. "Not that, silly," the other inkling in the area shouted. "The Boss Kettle only opens when you've retrieved all the zapfish in the area!"

Alexis groaned, and heaved herself over the pot. She looked around, and noticed something glinting a few feet in front of her. She walked up the ramp, searching for it. Yet, she couldn't find it. Then, Marie's reminder to ink anything funny-looking popped into her head. She put a foot out, which was stopped by something invisible. Determined that this was the location, she began shooting it with ink. A creaking sound was heard as the ink was suddenly thrown off of it to reveal a metal grate, shaped like a miniature version of the Boss Kettle. Deducing that this was somewhere Octarians resided, she slipped into the grate.

She reappeared in a rather strange area, the sun shining in her eyes. Sprawled out in front of her was a path of teal ink. She looked down at her spawn. It, too, was teal. Assuming this was the color she changed into when she arrived here, she stepped into the ink. Nothing bad happened.

"Swim through that ink," the voice of Marie said. Alexis jumped, searching for the source of the sound. "We're communicating through radio," she explained. "Though, I can also see what you're doing. Makes things helpful."

"...Okay…" Alexis slipped into the form of a squid, swimming to the end of the platform. She was revealed when she landed on a swirling teal circle, and felt herself prepare to super jump. She then felt herself flying through the air, and she landed on a smaller, teal circle.

"Cover enemy ink with your ink to move through it," explained Marie.

"Uh, I kind of already know that," she pointed out, "but thanks, anyways." The bronze-skinned inkling started to cover the magenta ink from above with her own. With that, her companion went silent. She inked the area, collecting the orange orbs floating above it. When she got past the wall, she saw a strange creature. When it noticed her, a blob of magenta ink shot out of its hose. She gasped and hid behind a wall. "…What is that?"

"That, my friend, is an octarian," the other inkling explained. "An Octotrooper, to be specific. They're pretty easy to take down, don't worry."

With a little hesitation, Alexis stepped out from behind the wall and began shooting the Octarian. Within a few moments, it burst into teal ink. The machinery it was riding on crashed to the ground and disappeared.

"Good. Now, jump through that squid ring." She did as she was asked, and swam down the trail of teal ink left there. She arrived in an open area, where another Octotrooper, though with a shield covering its face, stood in the center of it. "Not a lot of cover here. Hide in the ink and move slowly so it doesn't see you. Though, I don't see anywhere go can go from here. It might be best to throw a bomb to distract that shielded slob, so you can splat him from behind."

 _I have bombs?_ Alexis reemerged from the ink, and searched her pockets for the aforementioned the bombs. She pulled out a teal bomb and threw it behind the Octarian, and then hid in the ink quickly. It turned around, confused, but the agent took the chance to strike it from behind. When it exploded, another swirling circle was revealed.

"Ah, a launchpad," Marie said. "Better jump on it."

Alexis swam into the launchpad, and she was launched upward and landed on another glowing circle. Directly in front of her was a grate, though she could see magenta ink sprawling out on the platform below. She stepped onto the grate and looked below her. Three Octotroopers were gathering beneath it. She started shooting one of them, and it splatted quite quickly. The other two noticed this and sent two blobs of ink towards her. She quickly shot one of the remaining two, and stepped out of the way of the blob. Unfortunately, it grazed her shoulder, but that didn't stop her from splatting the final Octotrooper.

"Hmm… Not bad," Marie complimented. Alexis slipped through the grate and swam through the ink present. She popped out at the end, where there were a few crates. She shot them, and more of the orange orbs flew towards her. She swung around the corner, where another Octarian was waiting for her. She splatted it and pushed forward through the mass of crates she now faced. She let out a squeak of surprise when she saw the last group of crates. It was shaped like a pyramid, with an Octotrooper on top of each box. They all began to shoot at her. Alexis inked a small spot to hide in, raising confusion in the five present.

"Remember, you have bombs!" the inkling on the radio reminded. _Oh, yeah!_ She reemerged from the ink and pulled out another teal bomb. The creatures, however, noticed her and began to shoot again. Luckily, the bomb exploded, taking most of them down. She finished off the ones that were left, and a launchpad appeared where they were. "Woo! I'm impressed," commented Marie, "Now, hop onto that launchpad."

She super-jumped over another building and landed on the glowing circle on the top. Past the wall was a big, puffed-up creature with blotches of teal ink on it. It was connected to something she couldn't quite make out. She broke the boxes to investigate.

"Hit that balloon fish with some ink to pop it," she instructed. So, that's what it was. She held up her shooter and shot it. It quickly exploded, covering the area like a giant bomb. She smiled. _Convenient._ Past it were more Octarians. They were guarding a silver, cylindrical object with an orange logo. "Ah, a vault. We'll need to find a key to open that." Alexis splatted the two Octotroopers present and took a sharp right. She slipped through the grate to find a mass of boxes. She broke a few of them, only to reveal more Octotroopers. She gasped and began shooting wildly.

Panic really began to rise when her tank ran out of ink. She quickly submerged herself in the ink, hoping that the Octarians would forget about her. However, as soon as they forgot, their hoses began spraying magenta ink on the ground below them. Soon, she was becoming cornered. When she had no more space to go, she began shooting the remaining Octarians, and the area became covered in teal ink again. She turned back around her to take down the rest of the boxes. In one of the crates, she found a key.

"There's the key. Now, take it, and use it to open the vault," Marie instructed. She did so and swam back down to the vault. She used the key to open it, and Alexis found a launch pad in its place. "You're a natural," the other inkling complimented. "Onward!"

The inkling with chin-length hair jumped off the higher platform and found a few boxes blocking her path. She broke them, and suddenly, a suitcase emerged from one of the boxes.

"You want that armor. Trust me." Alexis picked it up, and suddenly she found more weight on her body. She walked towards the group of Octarians, and Marie advised, "If you're hurt or overwhelmed, retreat and catch your breath. That's combat 101!"

"No need to," the bronze-skinned inkling boasted. "I can do this." She threw a bomb towards the group of Octarians, and it exploded, covering them in ink. She finished them off, and she moved towards the end of the dip to shoot the rest of the Octarians. She moved up the ramp, and she jumped when two Octarians suddenly appeared in a burst of magenta ink.

"Don't forget to strafe and backstep while you're shooting," the other inkling reminded her. Alexis groaned. She was getting a little tired of hearing Marie's advice. She splatted the two Octotroopers that popped up, garnering an audible gasp from the inkling on the radio. "You… You're still alive!" she exclaimed in awe. "This crazy plan might work after all." Alexis stepped on the circle and dissolved herself into the teal ink present. She swam up to a shielded Octotrooper who was just sitting there. Recalling the advice given earlier, she popped out of the ink and threw a bomb over the creature's head. It turned around, confused, giving her the chance to splat it from behind.

"Well done," Marie said. Alexis inked the wall and climbed up it to access the launchpad. It was a weird position for it to be in, but she could work with it. As soon as she touched it, she launched to what felt like the other side of the world. She jumped onto the narrow platform when the other inkling said, "Don't look down." She paused. "Or do. Whatever." She crossed the platform to find her path blocked by some crates. She broke them, and positioned herself on the grate where she could go through the squid rings at the same time she was falling down. She slipped into her squid form, and down she went.

Alexis turned the corner when she was met with another shielded Octotrooper. Both them became started as they shooted at each other. When she noticed some of the sticky ink got on her body, she slipped back into the ink and swam away. She rested for a moment and swung around the wall again afterwards. The Octarian had started to cover the area with its own ink again.

"Remember: bombs are your best friend," Marie reminded.

"I know, I know." She reemerged from the ink and threw a bomb behind the creature before hiding again. Luckily enough, it turned around, allowing her to shoot it in the back to splat it.

"Stay alert," commented the inkling on the radio. "You never know what might be on the other side of the wall." Alexis rested again to recharge her ink tank, and then she pressed forward to break the crates. She shot a balloon fish that stood in the middle of a wider area, which burst to reveal some hiding Octotroopers. "AMBUSH!" Marie then cried. "Cook these clowns!"

Alexis and the Octotroopers dueled, teal and magenta ink flinging back and forth. She used the balloon fish to her advantage, blasting it once it regenerated it. The ink blast was so strong that it managed to knock the shield off the shielded Octotrooper. With this advantage, she splatted it, and moved on to the launchpad behind the balloon fish. She launched and landed on yet another glowing circle, and broke the small crates. One contained a can, while the other contained armor.

"Tenta Missiles!" Marie exclaimed as soon as she picked up the can. "You can activate them and set the target on those slobs below you. Then, fire!"

"Will do." She broke the can and a pair of launchers appeared in her hands. Considering that she usually used her Splat Dualies to fight, using these were a piece of cake. She locked her targets, and fired. The missiles shot into the air, and soon enough they crashed down on the Octotroopers. They all exploded in teal ink, and one of them left behind a key. Alexis jumped down to the ground and picked up the key. She used it on the vault, which opened to reveal yet another set of Tenta Missiles.

"Well done," the other inkling said. "From what I can see, you probably want to use the second can of Tenta Missiles."

"Really?" She turned around to see more Octarians on the platform below. "Oh…" She broke the second can to obtain another pair of launchers. "There really is a lot of them here!"

Marie chuckled. "You are in one of the Octarians' realms. What do you expect?" There was a moment of silence before she said, "Now, cook these Octarians!" Alexis took a few steps back to ensure all of them were targeted by the Tenta Missiles. She fired them, and the Octarians started to run around frantically as the missiles headed towards them, to no avail. They all exploded into teal ink, and three keys were left behind. "Now we're cookin'!"

The agent hopped down to the platform below and picked up the keys. She used them to open up each vault. In two of them were red-orange cans containing a lot of the orange orbs she had seen floating around. The final one contained a launchpad. Once she got the cans, she swam over to the swirling circle, and she launched into the sky. She landed on a small platform, with a yellow creature with whiskers a few feet in front of her. It was surrounded by a yellow, glowing barrier. _A zapfish!_

"There it is! Bust in and grab that zapfish!" Marie exclaimed. "…By inking it, by the way. Just in case you didn't know."

Alexis nodded and started shooting the barrier. It burst, and the zapfish let out a raspy, yet high, cry. She put the shooter behind her back afterwards. Excited, she leaped towards it and grabbed it, holding it tight while it squirmed around.

"I got it!" she exclaimed. "Take that, Octarians!"

"Great," the other inkling said. A launchpad spawned from behind the zapfish's holding place. "You'll want to take that launchpad back out. It'll take you back up to the surface."

Alexis nodded, still holding the zapfish. She walked over to it and turned into squid form. She launched up towards the sky, the zapfish screaming all while doing so. She popped out high above the grate, which was open to accommodate for the zapfish not being made out of ink. As soon as they were above ground, the grate closed, and Alexis landed cleanly on it.

Turning around, she noticed Marie walking up to her, Brella still in hand. "And there it is," she said, smiling.

"So…" The bronze-skinned inkling looked down at the zapfish in her hands. "What do I do with it?"

"We've been sending rescued zapfish back to the power plant where the electricians manage them," the older inkling explained. "We send them anonymously, of course."

"Solid plan." She gently passed the zapfish on to the other inkling. "I suppose you can handle it from here."

"I can." Marie started walking back to her shack. "Great work, Agent 4," she then started. "Inkopolis may not be doomed after all."

"Um… my name's Alexis," she pointed out. "I've never said that earlier, but now's better than never."

She looked over her shoulder again, and shrugged. "Whatever. You're Agent 4 here, not Alexis. By the way, you did the first job perfectly." She smiled. "Up for another one?"

"I don't know…" Alexis scratched her head. "My sister might be worried sick about me. How long has it been?"

"Since you first showed up? Not very long," Marie replied. "A half-hour, if I had to guess."

"It's only been a half-hour?!" The bronze-skinned inkling plopped down on the now-stickered grate. "So much has happened since then!"

"I don't blame you. But, the only thing now is to keep pushing forward. Inkopolis is counting on you, Agent 4."

The inkling stood up, and gave a nod. She pulled out the shooter again, and continued the search for the next grate.


	5. The Coffee Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie and Octavia hang out at Starfish Drinks, a popular coffee shop.

_Bonnie's PoV_

"Are you sure there's a Starfish Drinks near the square?" asked Octavia. "We've been walking this way for _hours_."

"Via, it's only been five minutes," Bonnie replied. "Roy was able to find it after five minutes of running."

"Ugh, if you say so," she grumbled. Through the busy streets, the two inklings meandered through the crowd, still in search for the coffee shop. Bonnie was pretty positive that she would be able to find it. She has visited it many times, ever since everyone moved to the square to hang out.

A few minutes later, the bitter scent of coffee hit her nose, and she tapped on her friend's shoulder. "I believe we're here," she announced as soon as Via turned around to face her. She looked up at the sign above the glass entryway. In white bold letters, outlined in black, the words read 'Starfish Drinks'. Separating the two words was the well-known logo—a green circle with a stylized starfish inside.

"Hey, you're right!" Octavia exclaimed.

"See," she started, "that didn't take long at all."

They entered Starfish Drinks and then the line. It was the afternoon, and the lunch rush was already coming in. The line was long, as to be expected, and baristas everywhere were running back and forth to make the drinks everyone asked for. To past the time, Bonnie and Via had a rather simple chat, but soon enough, even Bonnie found her patience waning. She looked behind her. Many more people had come in after them, and the line would only get longer. Bonnie frowned, but decided to focus on the menu. They were getting pretty close to ordering by now.

Eventually, a cashier said, "I can help who's next."

"Finally!" Octavia exulted. She grabbed the blue-haired inkling's hand and ran over to that cashier. An amused expression came across the older woman's face. "Yes, yes, I'd like a black coffee, please!"

"And I'd like some iced tea," requested Bonnie.

"Alright." The cashier pressed some buttons, and a number came up on the screen above the cash register. "That will be 1,050 coins."

"I'll pay," the girl with glasses whispered to her friend. She pulled out her wallet, then the requested cash, and slid all the coins over to the cashier. "Here you go."

"Thank you. What's your name, sweetie?" the cashier asked.

"Bonnie," she replied.

"Okay, Bonnie," she started, "We'll call you once the drinks are ready."

"Sounds good." The two inklings went to over to the wall closest to the pick-up area, where they leaned against it.

"Wonder how long this will take," Octavia mused.

"It shouldn't take as long as the line," Bonnie commented, pointing to a group of inklings rushing back and forth between machinery. "They've got plenty of baristas." _And, Roy might have already gotten a job here._ She smiled. He would hate it if he was here right now.

After roughly ten minutes, one of the inklings at the counter called for Bonnie, sticking a ticket to the top of a white cup with the Starfish Drinks logo. The blue-haired inkling told her friend to wait, and walked up to the pick-up to grab their drinks. The other inkling wished her well, and she returned to Via. She gave her the steaming cup, and she promptly ripped off the ticket and stuck it onto the wet cup. The two teenage inklings sat down at a table to chat.

Once she set down her drink, Bonnie ripped off the ticket and read it. "They spelled my name 'Bonny'," she said blankly.

Octavia snorted. "This is Starfish Drinks, what do you expect? They always mess up names!"

The beige-skinned inkling sipped her iced tea. "I guess you're right."

"So… You think telling Roy to get a job here was a good idea?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "He's always been kind of a sports guy. But." Bonnie paused. "It doesn't hurt for him to try."

"He seemed interested last time I talked to him about it," the bronze-skinned inkling commented. She pulled out her phone to show him the latest conversation they had via text. Basically, it detailed all the ways Roy could mess around with the flow of customers coming in and out of Starfish Drinks, such as purposefully misspelling their names. That is, if he does decide to work here.

"That's actually really interesting," Bonnie said in regards to the texts. "Nothing about long lines?"

"Nothing. He hasn't even mentioned it."

"Maybe he came here when traffic was light," she joked, and then giggled at her own remark.

"Maybe," Octavia repeated. They paused to drink, but then the other inkling's eyes lit up, causing her to wave her hand to get her friend's attention. "Oh, oh! Want to see this new outfit I came up with?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Alright, give me a sec." The wavy-haired inkling set her coffee down on the table to look through her phone. She smiled upon finding it, and turned the phone around to show the contents of the screen to Bonnie. It depicted a dark-skinned inkling wearing a sun dress with floral patterns, alongside a sunflower pin stuck through her hair. She wore ivory sandals. "Pretty, right?"

Bon-Bon took the phone and held it in her hands, examining the image on the screen. "Right," she agreed. She looked up to face Via's orange eyes. "How did you make this? It looks 2D."

"A dress-up game," she replied. "I downloaded it a few days ago, and it's so much fun!"

" _What?!_ " someone suddenly cried. The two inklings stopped their conversation abruptly, looking between each other. Bonnie then looked behind her to see what was going on. A male inkling slammed his hands against the counter, lips curled into a snarl at another employee. "My name is _not_ Sigh-mund! It's _Simon_!"

"Woah, woah, sorry there," the employee tried to calm him down. He had a side ponytail. "Just an honest mistake. Trust me."

"An _honest mistake_?!" Simon retorted. "You Starfish Drinks baristas mess up my name all the time! Seriously! My name's so simple. _Simon_. S-I-M-O-N."

"I'm sorry, sir, but-" The older inkling slapped the employee. His cheek seemed to glow red now. "Ow!" Octavia and Bonnie exchanged glances with each either. _This is not going to end well_ , Bonnie thought. The other inkling touched his hand to his headset and yelled, "Security!"

At that moment, two police officers rushed into the coffee shop. They grabbed Simon, one arm each, and began dragging him out. All in the while, the older inkling was screaming expletives, and he threw his drink to the ground, and immediately did brown liquid spill. The drink tumbled onto a child's foot. The young inkling grabbed his bare foot and began to cry. His mother scooped him up in his arms.

"Now look at what he's done!" the mother cried. "Little Johnny's foot is starting to swell thanks to that coffee!" She ducked under the stanchion and stormed out of the coffee shop, while everyone simply watched in awe at the scene. Once it was done and over with, business went back to normal, and everyone kept chatting and ordering drinks as usual.

Via's orange eyes looked over at Bon-Bon. "What now?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee in the process.

She lifted herself up from her seat, eyes drifting towards the doorway. "I think we should leave." _I don't want to hear anything like that for the next month_ , she silently added. The whole scene that just happened had been a headache for her.

"Good idea." The two inklings stood up and exited the coffee shop, spilling them back onto the streets. They made their way back to the square. By the time they got there, they had finished their drinks, so they threw the cups into a trash can. Octavia leaned on the wall of a shop, while Bonnie held her hands, watching her.

"Do you want to do a turf war?" she asked.

"Do you wanna see the dress-up game I was talking about?" she countered.

"Actually, I do." Bon-Bon went by her friend's side, now getting a look at her phone screen. It was on the loading screen of some game. "Is that it?"

"Yeah." The game finished loading, so the bronze-skinned inkling held out the screen in front of them. "You see, if you press this button…" She pressed the aforementioned button, bringing up a screen with an inkling model, who was only wearing a bikini. "…You can dress up this inkling! Pretty fresh, right?" The blue-haired inkling simply nodded in agreement as Via went on to demonstrate.

Afterwards, Bonnie asked, "…Now can we do a turf war? Please?"

"Sure."

And thus, the two girls walked off towards the tower to play.


	6. Running With Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inigo goes on a Salmon Run to take his mind off of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of Mr. Grizz's dialogue is taken from Splatoon 2.

_Inigo's PoV_

Two inklings held their hands tightly as they walked along the boardwalk. Seagulls flew around, picking away at litter on the beach. However, Geneva and Inigo were contempt just staying on the wooden platform bordering the beach. Inigo held a cone of chocolate ice cream in his hands, and he licked it while the green-haired inkling was talking.

"You really know salmonids in-and-out, huh?" Geneva commented.

"Yeah," the indigo-haired inkling replied. "My grandpa likes to tell me stories of his salmonid hunts back in his younger days." He shrugged. "My family owns a big fishing boat, too, if that helps."

"Like I said, I've only seen their eggs—and even then, I didn't know where they came from until you started telling me about them."

"Where did you see salmonid eggs, again?"

"Oh, umm… I saw a few lying about while taking care of a zapfish."

"Oh, yeah." He chuckled. "I forgot." Inigo ate the last of the cone, and threw the wrapping towards a trash can. It missed.

Geneva noticed this, and she tore herself out his hand to go pick it up. "And remember, don't litter." She tossed it into the trash can. Smiles crossed their faces, and they burst out in laughter. "Let's stop here," she said finally.

Inigo agreed, and then the other inkling grabbed his hand and they ran towards the fencing. Holding hands once more, they leaned against it, gazing out into the cerulean sea. The boy let go of her hand to throw his arm around her. They pressed together, side by side, with huge smiles on their face. They took a moment to look at each other. With a silent agreement, the two of them closed their eyes and leaned towards each other. Excitement coursed through Inigo's body. This was it!

…What Inigo got was a mouthful of cotton.

When he opened up his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with white. He pulled himself upwards, and the pillow fell to the mattress. Realizing what had happened, the inkling tried to spit out the stuffy taste to no avail. In the meanwhile, rays of sunlight shone through the window of his room, highlighting the deep indigo blanket of his bed. He threw it off of him and stood up now on the grey carpet. He did a few stretches and got dressed.

As he got ready for the day, disappointment lingered in his mind. He shouldn't be surprised; it always lingered after those kind of dreams. The ones where he still had a girlfriend. He shivered. His attempts to get another one have so far have been unsuccessful. Will he never date again? To Inigo, this was a horrifying thought. But, he had to remain optimistic.

He walked out of the townhouse and entered the streets of Inkopolis. It was not too terribly crowded today, but it still just felt like a normal. His phone rang, so he pulled it out. An advertisement for Grizzco's popped up as a notification. Inigo pumped his fist. He could do a Salmon Run today! But first, he would have to tell his friends about it. They probably knew by now, though. Regardless, as he walked in the direction of the square, he was bent over his phone, texting away.

By the time he reached the square, he had gotten some responses back from the people he expected—Octavia, Yuri, and Bonnie. They usually escorted him on a Salmon Run. He lifted his head, looking around for his friends. He then saw Roy at the Rainbow Squids' usual table. He was on his phone as usual. Inigo straightened and walked over to him.

"Hey," he greeted.

The boy with his hair swept to the side focused his red eyes on the indigo inkling. "Hey." He adjusted his bandana and said, "I got your text about Salmon Runs."

"Are you interested?" he asked.

"You know I'm not," he grumbled. "I don't wanna be around fish all day."

"It's not _all_ day. Only a half hour at minimum."

"I thought we agreed to do some ranked battles today?"

"You said this afternoon. It's morning right now."

Roy let out a deep sigh. "Alright. But if you don't come back here by three o'clock, I'm kicking your butt."

"Don't worry." Inigo smiled. "I'll make sure of it."

The indigo-haired inkling headed off towards Grizzco's, happy to see that the bars usually blocking the entrance were missing at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the shady building. Neon signs flickered, as if the place was affected by the Great Zapfish's disappearance. The air felt suffocating, yet at the same time, it was comforting. He glanced over at the familiar statue resting on top of the cooler.

The radio attached to the statue buzzed to life, and a voice said, "Right on time, kid. I've got work for ya."

"Can you wait a sec, Mr. Grizz?" Inigo asked. "I've got friends coming over." The statue did not respond. "Yeah? Good, good." The indigo-haired inkling sat down on a steel beam, and pulled out his phone. Via texted him that she was on her way, but nothing else. To occupy his time, he decided to play a phone game.

After a while, all three of his friends entered the building at the same time. Inigo glanced up from his screen, and smiled.

"Hey there, Inigo!" Yuri greeted. "Ready for a Salmon Run?"

"Yep." The fair-skinned inkling put his phone in his pocket and walked over to the statue. "Alright, Mr. Grizz. Get us on the boat."

"Will do." An elevator suddenly popped up in the middle of the room. The four inklings crowded into it, and once they did, the door shut, leaving them alone in the darkness.

"You know," Octavia started, "the elevators here are very much like the elevators in the towers. Both Inkopolis and Deca."

"Except dark," Bonnie added.

Whirring could be heard as the elevator went down and down, and then it came to an abrupt stop, a hissing sound following it. The floor opened up beneath them to reveal a grate. The inkling slipped into his squid form to slide through, and down he went. He swam through the pipe, and then he popped out at the oceanfront, a trail of indigo ink following him as he launched towards the boat. The four reformed on the boat's deck.

"Well," started Yuri, stretching his arms out, "time to get dressed." The dark-skinned inkling took off his headphones. "I really don't want to ruin these."

Octavia walked over to the clothesline, which had four identical suits hung on it. "I've never really liked these," she said, taking one of them. "They're so… not fresh."

"Well, someone's gotta do the gross jobs," Yuri remarked. "Even they can be fun!"

"Right," Via agreed. "It's practically the only reason why I even do Salmon Runs—it's fun."

"Let's just get dressed," Bonnie interrupted, taking one of the suits. Without another word, she walked inside the ship. Without any arguments, the other inklings proceeded to do so as well. Inigo entered a dressing room and put on the suit. He put his everyday clothes on the rail and walked back out. He threw his hands over the railing, looking out at the sea. Luckily, none of his friends got seasick easily. Except Perry.

When Yuri came out onto the deck, he threw his arms out and stretched. "This breeze feels so fresh, 'ey, Inigo?"

"Yeah…" A frown slipped onto his face. His dream last night still unnerved him.

The dark-skinned inkling seemed to have noticed this. "Is something wrong?" he asked, taking a moment to adjust his hat afterwards.

The indigo-haired inkling did not say anything initially, but he then shook his head. "No," he replied. "I was just thinking of something."

"Lemme guess, Geneva?"

His eyes widened, with a slight blush coming across his face. "How—I-I mean, no!"

"Come on…" A playful smile came across Yuri's face. "You're lying."

"Alright, alright, you're right." Inigo slumped. "I am thinking about Geneva."

"…Any particular reason why?"

"It's nothing, I swear. Just a dream I had last night."

"You're just gonna ignore it?" Inigo nodded, and the other inkling shrugged. "…I guess if that works for you, then so be it."

At that moment, he heard footsteps approaching them. They turned around to see Bonnie coming out onto the deck, sunlight reflecting on her blue eyes. She most definitely put on contacts, since glasses were considered 'a safety hazard' out on salmonid grounds.

"Hey," she greeted. "I'm ready."

"In case you're wondering," Inigo started, trying to muster a smile, "we aren't there yet."

"I figured," the beige-skinned inkling replied. "It usually gets darker by the time we get to…" She turned around to look at the paper plastered onto the entrance below deck, detailing the job. "…The Spawning Grounds."

"That applies to anywhere," the fair-skinned inkling replied. "No one knows exactly why, but being in the presence of salmonids has a strange effect of making it look like it is sunset, or sometimes, night."

"I never would have guessed," the girl said unenthusiastically. In a lighter tone, she then explained, "Via's still getting dressed." In a whisper, she added, "I bet she's putting on make-up."

 _Why bother?_ Inigo wanted to point out. _It's gonna get ruined anyways._ He explained this to his orange-haired friend the first time they did a Salmon Run together, which was a few weeks ago. He did not know how well she listened. He chose not to say anything in response to Bon-Bon's remark. There was really no need to.

"Alright, then," Yuri simply responded, leaning on the railing. "We'll just have to wait."

The indigo-haired inkling looked up at the sky, which was getting ever-so darker. "…We might not have a lot of time left."

More time passed, and the Spawning Grounds started to come within view of the three inklings. Via had still not come out yet, but by the time the land was completely ingulfed in a sunset, Octavia came bursting outside, her hat sloppily put on.

"Sorry!" she apologized. "I got lost."

The three other inklings looked at each other, skeptical about her excuse, but then they all simply shrugged. "It's fine," Inigo then spoke up. "You're right on time, too." Anticipating a launch into the island, they all took the time to change their ink color to a deep purple.

"There," Bon-Bon said. "Now we're all prepared." The four changed into their squid forms, preparing to super jump. And within an instant, purple streams of ink raced across the sky. They landed into a splotch of ink on the ground of the Spawning Grounds, and hid momentarily. When Inigo reemerged, he found himself holding a Splattershot Pro.

"Interesting…" the ponytailed inkling muttered. He looked over at his friends.

"Hey, Via," Yuri started, walking over to the aforementioned inkling, "have any tips on how to use this thing?" He held out an Inkbrush, which he assumed he got for this wave.

"Well, you have to swing it to spread ink," she explained. At that moment, the water began to rise. Just what they needed. "Just holding it does not work. At all. Neither if you just roll it along on the ground."

The dark-skinned inkling gave a nervous smile. "Well… I dunno how this is gonna go, but I'll give it a try."

"I don't think this is gonna go too well," Bonnie interrupted, swinging an Aerospray MG. "Aerosprays do not have a range at all!"

"Not with that attitude, it won't," Yuri encouraged, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You just gotta give it your all."

At that moment, a boat horn blew, signaling the arrival of a boss salmonid. "Guys, we really have to go, now!" Inigo commanded. He shot some ink at the ground to swim around in.

"Right!" All of the inklings went their separate ways, each inking their own paths. Inigo stopped at the edge of the grate, looking around. No salmonids were in sight.

"This way!" Octavia cried. "I could really use some help here!"

Inigo ran back on the ground and slipped into his squid form. He could not ignore a coworker in need, especially when that coworker is his friend. He arrived at the other side of the island to see salmonids jumping onto the platforms, all armed with frying pans. The bronze-skinned inkling backed up as she charged her splatling, and soon enough, ink pellets shot out of it, hitting some of the salmonids. Power eggs flew towards her as each one went down. Bonnie was backing her up, with her Aerospray firing at a rapid pace. Yuri, on the other hand, was chasing after the boss, a Drizzler.

The fair-skinned inkling emerged and looked up at the sky. An armored torpedo flew overhead, so he began to shoot it. Luckily, his aim was true, and the torpedo went down, disappearing into the water. This gave his friend the chance to swing his Inkbrush back and forth at the boss salmonid to finish it off. Soon enough, it burst into three golden eggs.

"Booyah!" Yuri cried. He turned to face the other inklings. "Hey, we got some eggs over here!"

Via gasped and started running over to the platform the spiky-haired inkling was standing on. "Coming!"

"What abou-" Before Bon-Bon could finish her sentence, she tripped and fell into the water. She struggled before she was dragged down to the ocean floor in a cloud of purple. Luckily, she reemerged, but Inigo was more focused on gathering the eggs at the moment. "Help!" she then cried.

"I'll get her," Yuri declared. He turned to the other living inklings. "You two need to get the eggs up there…and find out how many we need, too."

Another horn sounded. "Another boss is coming," the fair-skinned inkling realized. "We're gonna have to act fast."

"That's no problem." She saluted to the dark-skinned inkling and ran off, with Inigo following her soon after. The two inklings made their way up to the basket and plopped the eggs in. They looked at the egg count on the base of the basket. "We need ten eggs," Via read. "That isn't so bad."

"We have two right now, and we'll get three more once that dies," Inigo followed up, pointing over to a Steelhead approaching them.

Octavia looked at it, and smirked. "That's no problem; I have a splatling." She held down the trigger, allowing it to charge up. As they advanced, the boy shot at incoming lesser salmonids. Quickly, though, he had to hide back into the ink. _Curse this high-ink consumption. No wonder Geneva never liked these._

The Steelhead stop, and it grunted, the green bomb appearing on its head. Via let go of the trigger, and a stream of ink flew out of the Heavy Splatling. The bomb became covered in more and more purple ink until it exploded, causing the boss salmonid to go down with it.

"Booyah!" the orange-eyed inkling cheered. "Now, we just gotta get to the eggs."

Inigo emerged from the ink and began shooting again. He heard footsteps behind him, assuming them to be Bonnie and Yuri. When there was an opening, he swooped in to grab an egg and quickly snapped back to the main platform. By the time he reemerged, he heard yet another horn. Salmonids were pouring onto the mainland, followed by a Steel Eel. He chucked his egg into the basket and squeezed behind it. It passed by him, making Inigo wonder who it was targeting.

"Watch out!" he called. "Steel Eel coming!"

"What are you standing there for?" Octavia called back. "Shoot it!" She looked behind her as the boss salmonid swooped around the bend, heading towards her. It ran over Yuri in the process.

"I wish I could," he replied, "but these salmonids really want sailor calamari right now." The ponytailed inkling was firing at the creatures coming his way. When he ran out of ink, he had no choice but to jump down onto lower ground. In the form of a squid, he plopped into the ink and swam. He flinched as he swam through the toxic green ink, forcing himself to reemerge. He coughed, looking behind him. He swung around and shot at the incoming salmonids.

Another horn sounded, much to Inigo's dismay. He heard the whirling of a jet overhead, tipping him off to the presence of a Flyfish. He swam up to the basket, hearing his friends' cries for help. Pulling out a bomb, he threw it towards Yuri and Bonnie, both splatted. He hid in the ink to recharge his tank, but he heard the explosion, causing him to let out a sigh of relief. Another horn sounded. When Inigo reemerged, the first thing he noticed was the Steel Eel falling apart.

"I did it!" Bonnie cheered. "I splatted a boss with this thing!"

Figuring that he should probably get over there, Inigo slipped back into the ink and made his way over to where they were fighting. He had to get through a few salmonids in the process, but overall, it went pretty well. That is, until a green beam of ink suddenly pierced him. He let out a squeak as he started running away from the beam. But it was no use; he was a Stinger's target. Soon enough, he splatted. A few moments later, he reemerged in his life preserver.

"Help!" he then cried, inching towards the other inklings. Yuri was already running over towards the Stinger, while Bonnie walked over to him and shot him. He felt himself heal, quickly standing on his own two feet again. He thanked her and went their separate ways. The beam of ink suddenly ceased once Yuri brought it down, so Inigo made his location his next destination. He maneuvered himself over there as best as he could, shooting down salmonids when they came to attack him. He snatched one of the golden eggs and started to head back over to the basket.

Another horn meant another boss. Yet another Steel Eel emerged from the water, and now, its target was Inigo. It slinked towards him, just as he made it to the basket. He let out a cry of alarm and jumped down to the grate. To his dismay, a stream of green ink was falling next to him, and everything around him was just a little target. He looked up. The Flyfish, with two launchers still intact, was firing at his friends. The indigo-eyed inkling so badly wanted to help, but he was becoming cornered.

"Hold on, Inigo!" Via called. "I'm coming!" As the Steel Eel passed her, she ran towards the Flyfish and pulled out a bomb. She threw it towards the open launcher, but it just barely missed. She growled and took one of the packages from her hat. She teared it, and in her hands appeared a bomb launcher. She started throwing them rapidly, all aiming for the Flyfish's open baskets. However, they closed before they got in, and the Flyfish floated around once more.

Inigo, on the other hand, was running low on ink by now. The Steel Eel was inching closer and closer by the second, and he did not know how much longer he'll last. Suddenly, he got an idea. What if he jumped in the water? When he was revived, he should have a full ink tank. Regardless, he was not too entirely sure if that was a good idea. Before he could make a decision, the boss salmonid rammed into him, knocking him into the water.

"Seriously?!" the wavy-haired inkling cried as he went under. When Inigo reemerged onto the grate, he saw the Flyfish crash down to the ground. Another fog horn sounded, much to his dismay.

Bonnie ran over to him with her Aerospray MG and quickly sprayed him with it. Inigo thanked her and immediately grabbed an egg dropped from the Flyfish. He ran back up to the basket when he saw a lure bobbing around in the ink. Maws. Of course, another boss would try to attack him as soon as he recovered. He tried his best to outrun it, managing to put the egg into the basket at the very least.

A glowing green ring hovered in the ink, giving him the cue to throw a bomb there. He pulled out one, filled with deep violet ink, and threw it into the circle. The Maws launched, and it swallowed the bomb. Within an instant, it exploded in purple ink, leaving behind three golden eggs. Bonnie returned from the shore to plop an egg into the basket, when she noticed other eggs lying on the ground. She looked at the ponytailed inkling and gave a thumbs-up. Inigo simply nodded and continued on with the fight.

Two more screams were heard as Yuri and Octavia were splatted. Salmonids flocked them beforehand, and now the horde set their sights on the remaining two.

"Do we have enough eggs?" Inigo asked the girl with double bun, worry laced within his voice. She gave a frantic nod as a responsible. "Well, we have to get to them now."

"There can't be that much time left," Bonnie argued. "We can just wait it out here."

A look of dismay crossed his face, and he threw out his hands. "Do you see how many salmonids there are?! They'll get us before the clock runs out!" Inigo turned around to see a Cohock swinging its pan at him. It hit the side of his head, causing him to explode in green ink.

"Umm…" Inigo heard the rapid fire of the Aerospray MG nearby, and then suddenly, it ceased. The salmonids returned to the ocean, and all the inklings found themselves launching through the air again. They landed in a spawner on the boat, and quickly, all of them reemerged from the ink with no injuries what-so-ever.

"Ooh, crew wipe," Mr. Grizz said through the radio attached to their gear. "Let's see how many golden eggs ya got." Everyone looked at each other nervously, without saying anything. Even Yuri seemed a little upheaved from the failure of the Salmon Run. "13? Not terrible," the raspy voice finally concluded. Bonnie gave out an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm not really surprised," Via admitted, breaking the silence. "When that swarm of salmonids came on land, I knew we were doomed."

"Okay, we lost, but… can we try again?" Yuri asked. "I really want to win this time!"

"I kinda can't," Inigo replied. "I promised Roy that I would be back by three. And it's…" The fair-skinned inkling walked over to a clock hanging over the poster detailing the shifts. "…Not three, but still, it takes a while to get here."

"What are you gonna do with him?" the bronze-skinned inkling asked.

"Ranked battles," he responded. "I think it's supposed to be Rainmaker, then." Rainmaker was Inigo's favorite ranked mode, and the one he was best at. There was just something so satisfying about putting the Rainmaker on the hill, locking it in place.

"Rainmaker?!" Octavia cried. "I'm terrible at it!"

"I like Rainmaker," Bonnie muttered.

"It's not my favorite, but at least I don't suck at it," Yuri commented.

"Rainmaker's my best," Inigo added. _Which was a little weird, since it was Geneva's worst. She'd never play with me when that came up._

"So, your point is, you'd like to go back?" the beige-skinned inkling inquired.

"Yeah," he clarified. "I don't want Roy to get mad at me." He shuddered. The last time that happened, Inigo ended up having to get a new phone.

"Understandable," she said. Bon-Bon touched her radio set and then said, "Mr. Grizz, bring us back to Inkopolis."

"Got it." The boat then turned around from the island and started its course back to the place where it all started.

"Guess I'll have to change back," Octavia muttered.

"You don't have to," Inigo pointed out. "Only I have to."

"Well, that Salmon Run was embarrassing. I don't feel like doing another one today."

"Aw, Via…" Yuri started, throwing an arm around the wavy-haired inkling. "You don't need to get yourself down because of it."

"It was still a complete disaster!" she argued, turning into her squid form to escape her friend's grasp. Once she landed on the ground, she slinked away from him, and once she was out of his reach, she transformed back and ran inside the boat. Everyone simply stared at the display.

Eventually, Bonnie just shrugged. "Eh, what can I say? That's Via for ya."

"Well, I'm gonna change. See ya in a little bit," Inigo announced.

The rest of the boat ride went along pretty smoothly, with no interruptions. Once it arrived back at Inkopolis, Inigo and Octavia said their goodbyes to their friends, and they agreed to go look for Roy. The red-haired inkling happily let Via come along, and together, the three of them played Rainmaker with little to no interruptions.

For a day that initially started bad, it turned around, in Inigo's mind.


	7. Inkbrush Graffiti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry decides to try out a new weapon - the Inkbrush.

_Perry's PoV_

Perry sat with his legs crossed on his bed, staring intensely at the computer screen. Inklings dashed across the video being played, all of them wielding Inkbrushes. Despite usually using sloshers, something was just so appealing about any type of brush. Ink was spread across the land with a few swipes, and it was pretty effective at taking out enemies, too. What he liked most, however, was how someone using a brush could simply start rolling along, running so quickly.

"Booyah!" The purple-haired inkling pumped a fist as the inkling the video focused on ambushed another inkling. Her target let out a screech as he quickly met his demise. Quickly, the girl in the video ran away, and hid again. The rest of the video was pretty predictable—the girl kept ambushing other squids, and soon enough, her team won. All in the while, Perry had a big smile on his face.

 _Now I gotta get some money!_ he deduced. He closed his laptop, jumped off his bed, and rushed out of his room. He ran down the stairs, calling for his father. He found him at a coffee table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Dad!" Perry called. "I need some money!"

His dad put the newspaper down and wiped the coffee off his beard. "How much?" he asked.

"I dunno, how much is an Inkbrush?"

The older inkling raised an eyebrow, but then he replied, "…I'll just give you one of my debit cards." He pulled a wallet out of his pocket, then pulling out a silver card out of it. "This should have about 500,000G worth of cash left on it. The PIN's 2019."

"K, thanks." The inkling with the king flip mesh swiped the debit card out of his father's hand and started marching towards the door. "See ya later."

"No problem. And, have a nice day!"

He didn't reply to that statement. Once he stepped outside of the mansion, he called for a taxi to take him to downtown Inkopolis. One came, and he used his own money, the money in his wallet, to pay for it. Some time passed, and the taxi dropped him off closer to the square. The driver said she couldn't take him any farther, to his dismay. Regardless, Perry strode through the streets of the city, all in pursuit of Inkopolis Square.

By noon, he arrived at the square, the sun high in the sky. He looked around. None of his other friends were here, it seemed. He shrugged. He'll find them later. Right now, he wanted to buy his very own Inkbrush. Immediately, Perry dashed into Ammo Knights.

"Hey, Sheldon, where are ya?" he called as soon as he step foot into the shop. "I'm lookin' for a weapon, here!"

"Coming!" Soon enough, the horseshoe crab came running out into the main area, his apron freshly stained with grease. "Sorry for the wait, I was working on a very special piece of tech for someone to use," he explained, adjusting his binoculars. Then, Sheldon greeted, "Hello! What are you looking for today?"

"An Inkbrush," the purple-haired inkling replied, standing tall.

"What kind? I have standard Inkbrushes, of course, but I do have a few extra Inkbrush Nouveaus and Permanent Inkbrushes in the back. I would need to modify their sets for you, though," Sheldon started. "The Inkbrush, by the way, is a super-light brush…" Perry did not bother to listen in on his explanations of each kind of Inkbrush. He found them boring. "…Sir? Are you still there?"

"Oh, oh, yeah," Perry muttered, shaking his head and wiping a little drool off of his chin. "I just wanna Inkbrush. A normal one, nothin' special or 'nything."

"Just an Inkbrush? Sounds fine by me," Sheldon said. "It costs only 2,600G! Yes, only 2,600G to give this lovely brush a home!"

"Do ya take debit?" asked Perry, pulling his dad's debit card out of his wallet.

"Of course! Not every inkling can afford to carry a lot of money around, you know," he responded. He then directed the pasty boy to the nearby POS system and tapped on the pad. "Slide your card through here, enter your PIN, and sign, and you'll be on your way with your brand new Inkbrush!"

"Sounds fresh." Perry completed the transaction, and Sheldon huddled over to the display rack. He took an Inkbrush off of it, and walked back over to him to give it to him.

"Thank you! I'm sure you'll give it a good home," the vender thanked.

"Don't worry." The purple-eyed inkling smirked. "It'll be under very good care." He took the Inkbrush and left the shop.

Holding it tightly, his eyes drifted towards the Deca Tower. That was where he would go next. He walked up to the entrance and leaned his new weapon against the wall. He pulled out his phone to see if anyone had texted him. Indeed, someone had. It was Yuri, asking him when he was going to record his next song. He replied that he didn't know and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He just wanted to have fun now.

The lobby was less active than he expected, but a healthy amount of inklings still flowed in and out the elevators leading to the arenas. Now, Perry had a decision to make. Did he want to just test out the Inkbrush in a normal turf war, or should he jump straight into a ranked battle? He stood there, his eyes moving back and forth between the two sections of the lobby. Soon enough, he found his legs dragging him towards the turf war elevators. He had made his decision.

He squeezed into a packed elevator, and quickly, it started to descend. None of the inklings seemed to know each other, as everyone just sort of stood there awkwardly. Perry wanted to break the silence, but he didn't know how. He could enthuse about his new Inkbrush, but no one at all held a brush in their hands. Perhaps it was for the best; he would forget about them as soon as he left. Soon enough, the floor opened beneath them to reveal the familiar grate, and the purple-haired inkling slipped through it as a squid.

A few moments later, he emerged from a pool of ink, a ship deck sprawled out in front of him. He felt nausea creep up on him. He hated any type of boat with a burning passion. It all started years ago, when he threw up on the deck of the family yacht. Later, he grew to hate seaside trips more and more, as he got seasick every single time. Now, his family never go on them. It was for the best, anyways.

"The Manta Maria?" the inkling next to him gasped. She had her hair tied into a bun, much like Bonnie's, and was clasping a Splash-o-matic in her hands. "I love this stage!"

 _Wish I could say the same thing,_ Perry commented silently. Though he had only played on this stage a few times, he still loathed it.

The clock started ticking as yellow ink started to fly all around his team. Clenching the Inkbrush, the inkling wearing the king flip mesh put the bristles to the ground and started running towards the center. He smirked. He could do this for sure! The sooner they claimed the center, the better. Within a few seconds, he reached his destination and started swinging his Inkbrush back and forth. Satisfaction bubbled in his chest as his color of ink covered the deck. He would paint the ship red…except it would be yellow instead.

Globs of deep violet ink started to push their way towards the center mast, so Perry decided to run towards the attacker. He could ambush them, just like in the videos. He jumped up to a raised platform and stuck a tongue out at the newcomer. This inkling had a black FireFry bandana tied around his head, making his slick-backed tentacles pop out more. He held a .52 Gal in his hands and, with a scowl on his face, tried to shoot Perry upon his taunt. Alarmed, the inkling with spiky bangs covering his face jumped out of the way and inked a path for him to hide in. Another inkling with a ponytail pushed past that inkling and started firing his Splattershot Jr.

"Not good," Perry muttered. He threw his brush to the ground again and started running away from them. Bullets of ink aimed at him as he ran, and the other two inklings pushed into the center of the ship. He climbed onto a wall and looked around. _Where are the 'ther squids?_

" _Charrggeee!_ " someone suddenly screamed. An inkling wielding a simple blaster started pushing towards the enemy's turf, with the other inklings diving out of the way of her wrath. The inkling wielding the Splash-o-matic followed her, inking the territory left behind. The girl with the blaster managed to splat the boy with the .52 Gal, while the one with the Splattershot Jr. simply ran away. Seeing this as his chance, he started racing after the fleeing inkling, going deeper and deeper into enemy territory. He stopped when the enemy submerged into the ink, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. He swore and started to ink the surrounding area.

Suddenly, he had an idea. Swinging his Inkbrush to slowly create a path, he arrived at the opposite side of the ship, and looked around. It appeared that no one was around. Snickering, he started to draw something inappropriate on their turf. _They'll really get a kick out of this!_ Once his job was done, he started swimming back to the center mast. However, he had to reemerge from the ink when he encountered an obstacle—more deep purple ink. He was about to wipe it away when a different inkling emerged from it. She lifted her Dynamo Roller, winding it up to prepare for an all-out attack. Frantically, Perry swung his Inkbrush back and forth to try to take her down. Before he could, she swung the roller down, squishing him.

A few seconds later, Perry was back at the spawn. Yellow ink covered their side of the ship, making him smile. He swam up to a wall and drew a smiley face on it. It was much less mundane, but at least it would be his team that would be seeing it. He gasped when he noticed that someone was standing on the wall he had just painted on. Hearing this, the previously unknown inkling looked over her shoulder to look down at him. Afterwards, she continued charging up her E-liter 4K, focusing back on the main area. Perry stood there, dumbfounded, for a few seconds before he shook it off and continued to travel to the main area.

Back at the central mast, purple and yellow ink flew all over the place. The girl with the blaster continued her rampage, now shooting the enemy inkling with the Dynamo Roller down. While the girl with the E-liter 4K shot beams of ink across the area, another girl with Enperry Splat Dualies continuously rolled out of the way. Perry looked over at his teammate. Her determined grey gaze focused on the girl with the dualies. Something about her made a blush creep up his face. Maybe if he could splat her target, he could impress her. With his mind made up, he slipped into the ink and swam over to the girl with the dualies.

She, who had a hair clip attached to her long hair, also inked the turf around her as she rolled around as fast as she could. Perry had to fall back a few times as the purple ink inhibited him. Soon enough, she ran out of ink and slipped into it to retreat. Ripples marked her movements, and the purple-eyed inkling followed her as far as he could. When he could not go forward anymore, he reemerged from the ink and chased after her with the bristles down to the ground. They arrived at the place where he had vandalized enemy turf, and the girl with the Enperry Splat Dualies gasped as soon as she reemerged.

"Who did that?!" she demanded, pointing to the inappropriate drawing.

"I did." The girl jumped and turned around to face Perry, but all he did was smack her with her brush, and she splatted within an instant. "Booyah…" he whispered, and then he ran away from the scene.

The girl with the Splash-o-matic came into the corridor, inking the purple ink with her own yellow ink. She looked at Perry and waved, and then moved on back into enemy territory. The inkling with the king flip mesh shrugged and followed her back. He walked up next to her, noticing that she became paralyzed at the sight of his drawing.

"Uh… You OK?" he asked. "We kinda have to… ya know. Ink turf." He, too, froze when she disappeared in a puff of yellow smoke. He shook off the shock and started to ink around his drawing. He did not want to ruin it, after all! Even though it was chipped with purple ink at the edges. As he circled in, a rain of violet ink suddenly came down on him. He squeaked and fell to the ground, the Inkbrush being knocked out of his hands. "No!" He rolled over to the brush to grab it, when a glob of purple ink struck him from behind, and he exploded into yellow ink.

He respawned, and soon enough, another inkling respawned alongside him. It was the girl with the blaster. If she was splatted, then the only logical conclusion he had was that the others were in trouble. Immediately, he swam through the ink as fast as he could. Superjumping was not really an option here, as he did not know if it was safe. Perry climbed up onto a platform, and suddenly, he had an idea. What if he climbed up on the center mast? He through a Splat Bomb towards the ground, hoping to create both a distraction and a path. It exploded, and the purple-eyed inkling leaped into the ink. He splatted a path onto the mast and began to climb up it.

Once he was on the grate that circled around the mast, he decided to draw another inappropriate image on the wood. He did so, and once again, he threw another bomb at the ground. As soon as it was deployed, Perry looked around. Purple started to spread across the land, probably as a result from one of his own team disappearing. He looked down at the ground. The girl with the Dynamo Roller moved around slowly, inking the turf in front of her with every step. The boy with the Splattershot Jr. helped ink it as well, using its firing rate to his advantage. The inkling with the .52 Gal, on the other hand, was walking towards Perry's team's side of the boat. He sighed. There was nothing he could do from above. If only he had his Sloshing Machine with him…

The inkling with the king flip mesh walked across the bridge to his side of the land and watched as the enemy team advanced. He then saw yellow rings of ink shoot towards them, exploding after a short distance. He turned around to see the girl with the blaster shoot at them, though it would be in vain. The boy with the Splattershot Jr. appeared from behind his teammate and started shooting at her. Quickly, she exploded into purple ink. Some of it splatted onto Perry's hoodie, and he had to wipe it off. He inked the platform he was on and hid in it, hoping that they would not notice him.

Suddenly, the boy with the .52 Gal threw a point sensor at the platform he was on, and a purple arrow began to circle around him. With his position revealed, he swam towards the grate to give him more time before they would arrive to splat him. As soon as he slid through it, he reformed and started swinging his brush to ink the ground beneath him. He hid in it for a second or two to recharge the lost ink, and then he emerged to continue inking. He drew a larger version of the image he drew on the mast beforehand, though. Just to taunt the enemies.

He heard another groan, and Perry turned around to see the girl with the Enperry Splat Dualies again, growling at his piece of art. She started painting over it, and then she made her way over to Perry. Realizing her intent, he started swiping his brush around, backing away from the ripples that became closer and closer to him. Then, he was ran over by a Dynamo Roller. _Again?!_

When he respawned, he saw deep violet spreading across their side of the ship, inching closer and closer. The girl with the blaster continued to fire it, albeit with little success. The girl with the E-liter 4K stood on a smaller mast, aiming the beam at the inklings below. Without much hesitation, Perry superjumped to the girl with the charger. Noticing, she stepped out of the way to allow him to land.

When he landed, he slipped down below the grate. "Here we go!" He started swinging it wildly, hoping to hit someone. Inking was not his concern here—it was splatting. Some globs of ink flew past him, and he looked around for the source. Suddenly, the boy with the Splattershot Jr. made himself visible once again. Perry charged towards him, and he swung it as hard as he could at him. He started swinging back and worth, ignoring the ink hitting his hoodie right now. Soon enough, the two splatted at the same time. By the time he respawned, a whistle blew. The game had ended.

"I can't believe it!" the girl with the blaster cried. She slumped against the railing of the platform the spawning point was on. "We were doing so good, and then we lost!"

"It be that way sometimes," Perry commented, walking up to her. "Ya win some, ya lose some. That's what they say, right?"

"He's right," a new voice agreed. Turning behind him, he saw the pretty inkling with the E-liter 4K. She stood it up, its tank against the yellow ground. "Doesn't matter if we lose. We'll just play another round."

"It wouldn't have happened if the other girl didn't disappear!" the girl with the bun argued. "She was so fresh, we could have won with her!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do now," the other girl said. She had rather straight hair, with the ends of the tentacles cut off. Her cycling cap shaded her eyes ever-so-slightly. "We just have to wait for the Judds now."

As soon as she said that, Judd and Lil' Judd arrived, hopping onto the mast on Perry's team. Everyone looked up at them, anticipating the results. The cats danced for a little bit, and Lil' Judd struck out a purple flag, while Judd fell on his back. No one was surprised; the purple team had dominated the match. Without saying another word, all of the inklings superjumped back to the Deca Tower.

When they arrived back in Inkopolis, they appeared in the dark room that detailed the match more. The map on the screen flashed, showing the crushing defeat Perry's team had. The inkling with spiky bangs looked over at the enemy team. They all high-fived each other. The inkling who had the charger crossed her arms and scowled at them. The girl who had the blaster walked over to the screen and pressed it, showing the stats of each player in depth. To Perry's dismay, he had not inked as much turf as he hoped.

"You know…" the girl with the Dynamo Roller started, walking over to him. "Despite the fact that you aren't that good, you actually did pretty decent."

"Thanks," Perry replied. He smiled. All those Inkbrush highlight videos really paid off.

"I'll admit, jumping into the ring to splat the girl with the dualies was pretty brave," the inkling with the E-liter 4K commented. The purple-eyed inkling felt his heart skip a beat, and he melted into an even bigger smile, heat creeping up his face once again.

"Even though you drew… that," the girl with the Enperry Splat Dualies added, bitterness ringing her voice.

"What… Oh, dear cod," the girl with the blaster realized, facepalming. " _You_ drew those? That's gonna get you a suspension, you know." Her fingers parted to reveal a single red eye.

"Come on, just let me have fun," Perry protested. "Can't do that with a slosher, ya know."

"You use sloshers?!" the boy with the Splattershot Jr. marveled. "Dude, that's so fresh! I can't do anything with them!"

"Well, I specifically use the Sloshing Machine most of the time," the purple-eyed inkling clarified. "It's heavier than just a plain ol' Slosher, but it packs a punch!"

"That's even fresher!" the ponytailed boy enthused, his eyes sparkling with wonder.

"Yeah, yeah." He looked at his Inkbrush. "But I like this, too."

"Well, whatever," the girl with the E-liter 4K muttered. "I'm leaving."

Perry's eyes widened at her statement, and as she left to enter the main lobby, he chased after her. "Wait!"

She stopped and turned around to look at him. "What?"

"Umm… What's your name?" Perry gave an awkward, toothy smile.

"Lori," she replied. She crossed her arms again, her grey eyes staring down at him. "You?"

"P-Perry," he stuttered.

She held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

He took it and shook it. "N-Nice to meet ya too." After the handshake, he just kind of stood there, fidgeting with the Inkbrush. "Can I… umm…" He looked up at Lori. Why did she have to be so tall? "Have your number?"

"Sure." She took a teal phone out of her pocket and displayed her phone number on the screen. Perry pulled out his and entered the phone number into his contacts. He sent her a quick text, and a message appeared on the screen of Lori's phone.

"Oh, that's me," Perry clarified. "Ya see, that's my number up there."

"I see." She slipped the phone back into her pocket. "I guess I'll be seeing you."

"Be seeing ya too." The two inklings went their separate ways, and Perry decided to head over to the interface that held the Rainbow Squids' weapons. There, however, he saw a familiar short, orange-haired inkling.

"Alexis?" he queried.

The inkling turned around, confirming his suspicions. "Hey Perry," she greeted. "Looking yellow today, I see."

"Don't worry, I'll change it back to purple," he said, smiling. "Yellow's a one-time thing."

Her eyes drifted to the weapon Perry was holding. "Why do you have an Inkbrush?"

"I bought it, duh."

"And you used it?"

"Yeah. Why else would I buy one?"

"You don't see me using a Splattershot, now do you?"

There was a pause, and the two inklings burst out into laughter. "Ha, that's true," Perry agreed. "But anyways, I met a hot girl today."

"Pearl?"

"Not Pearl. Her name's Lori." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pointed at it. "I got her number and everything!"

"…I guess that's fresh," Alexis admitted. "I'm guessing you wanna get in here?"

"Yeah, I wanna use my Sloshing Machine again."

"If you say so." The young inkling activated the interface, and the floor tile lit up, sliding to reveal the passage down below. The two headed down to the storage room. Perry found his Sloshing Machine and set the Inkbrush down on the ground. He heaved the Sloshing Machine up the stairs while Alexis followed him up with her Splat Dualies in hand.

"Since you're here… wanna play a ranked battle?" Alexis asked.

"What is it right now?"

"Splat Zones."

"I'm down for it." The two looked at each other and nodded. "Now, let's go."

"Right!"

The two friends bounded towards the ranked section of the lobby, all in anticipation for the next battle.


	8. Swimming in Interviews

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After applying for a job at Starfish Drinks, Roy now has to be interviewed.

_Roy's PoV_

For the past few minutes, all Roy could do was stare at the date on the calendar, circled in bold red marker. It was today. August 26th. In a few hours, he could have a job at Starfish Drinks. He took a few breaths. He had to look profreshional today. He looked over at the varsity jacket hanging on his chair. He wouldn't be wearing it today. Roy opened his closet in search for something profreshional. He spotted a dress shirt and took it out of the closet, then putting it on.

A few minutes later, Roy looked at himself in the mirror. Disregarding his normal tan complexion and his bright red hair that was slicked to the side, he was rather satisfied with how he looked. Over the dress shirt was a black suit and a tie as red as his hair. Alongside it were black dress pants and black dress shoes. He picked up some sunglasses off of his dresser and put it on him. He smirked. Now, he really looked like a secret service agent today.

The red-haired inkling left his house and hopped into his car. He started it and drove down the streets of Inkopolis. However, he was faced with the ever-dreadful traffic. The line of cars inched along, and quickly did Roy start to become impatient. He honked the horn of his car a few times to no avail. He sighed and leaned back into the car seat. He pulled out his phone to see what was going on Squidsagram.

What was on Squidsagram was about what he expected. In addition to the everyday pictures people posted of themselves, he found himself with several likes on a picture he took of his calendar. Alongside it were comments telling him good luck on his job interview. He looked up every now and then and stepped on the gas pedal whenever traffic was inching forwards. A while later, he decided to snap a picture of himself and post it. He then slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned on the radio to occupy his time.

Even more time later, Roy had finally arrived at the Starfish Drinks near the square. He parked his car and got out of it, stretching. There, he found his friends by the entrance of the coffee shop, looking at their phones.

Yuri looked up from his phone, and gasped. "Guys! Roy's here!"

"Yo, Roy!" Perry greeted. "Good luck on that interview!"

"Yeah, good luck," Bonnie agreed. "I'm sure you'll do great."

Alexis put her phone back into her pocket and picked up a sign that was leaning against her side, holding it up. "Good luck Roy!" she quoted the sign. It was made from light brown cardboard, and the message was written in red paint. She then lowered the sign. "The hard part about making this was finding the paint," she whispered. "Apparently, red paint is hard to come by."

"Can you squids stop loitering?!" a worker yelled, peeking out of the door of Starfish Drinks. "I'm calling the police if you don't leave."

"Sorry," Inigo apologized. "It was my idea." He glanced at the Rainbow Squids, then at Roy. "Hope you liked it," the indigo-haired inkling whispered to him.

"Oh no, I didn't like it… I loved it," Roy replied, smiling. It was nice to have friends that supported him. "Too bad you guys can't stay longer," he said, turning to face the rest of his friends.

"Well, we'll congratulate you after the interview," Octavia assured. "We'll be waiting at the square."

"If you don't find us immediately, we're probably doing a match," Inigo added.

"Text us if so," Yuri finished.

"Alright," Roy said. "Thanks."

"No prob at all!" Perry exclaimed before they all headed towards the square. Now, it was only Roy standing in front of the coffee ship.

The worker that had yelled at them raised an eyebrow at the red-haired inkling's refusal to leave. "What about you? Those are your friends, right?"

"They are," Roy started, "but I'm here for an interview."

"An interview?" The employee took a piece of paper out of his pocket and scanned the list he had written on there. "There's one scheduled for 11:00 AM today. For…" He squinted. "…Roy Blacktip."

"Yep," the tanned inkling confirmed. "That's me."

"Well, then, come on in." The worker opened the door all the way and gestured for Roy to come inside. "I'll take you to the back. I'm sure Mr. Carp would take you in early."

"Thanks." The two inklings walked towards a door that read, 'Employees Only!', and the worker knocked on it. Soon, another inkling with tired orange eyes opened the door. Fittingly, his hair was also orange, but the tips of it were white.

"What do you want, Molas?" he asked. He took a sip out of a mug with the company's logo on it. "Is Stern trying to clip your ponytail off again?"

"No! Not at all!" Molas cried. "He doesn't even work today! But, this squid did come early for his interview."

The older inkling glanced over at Roy. "Are you Mr. Blacktip?"

The red-haired inkling straightened and replied, "Y-Yes." He gulped as anxiety spread throughout his body. He cursed at himself for looking so nervous. _I can't be nervous now! I can't let them see me as weak!_

He nodded. "Follow me." Roy stepped behind the inkling, and he then looked at his employee. "Get back to work."

"R-Right, sir!" The worker dashed off.

The older inkling slammed the door shut and started walking. "My name is Miles Carp, but please call me Mr. Carp," he introduced himself. "I am the one interviewing you today."

"Nice to meet you," Roy muttered.

Mr. Carp stopped and turned around. He held out his free hand. "Nice to meet you too." They shook hands and then continued walking. Soon enough, the older inkling stopped at a door and opened it. He went inside, and Roy followed. "Sit here," Mr. Carp instructed, pointing to the chair closest to the door.

"Okay." The red-haired inkling sat down, fidgeting with his thumbs under the table. The other inkling sat down at the opposite end of the table. He set down his mug next to a pile of papers, and then he straightened the stack of papers.

Mr. Carp put on a pair of reading glasses and started, "So, Mr. Blacktip, it says here on your resume that you are a student at West Inkopolis High School."

"Yes…"

"And that you are a member of its baskfishball team." Roy nodded. "Can you tell me about your grades?" he asked, lifting his head up to stare at the tan-skinned inkling.

"I have a C in math and an A in P.E. and history. I have a B in everything else."

"Alright, then. Back to baskfishball—what skills are required to be a good player?"

"Well… You have to have good hand-eye coordination." A determined look hardened into the teenage inkling's eyes. "Without it, you'll miss your target. And, you must also be a team player. Cooperation is crucial, and everything will fall apart without it. It's also recommended to have a lot of stamina, and that can be improved by exercising. Strong arms and legs are also a good idea."

"Good, good. Now, how good are your skills?

"Well, I'm tall, which helps with scoring goals. I also participate in turf wars a lot, and I practice regularly. Though…" His gaze faltered, and he looked away from Mr. Carp for a few moments. "I might not be the best at helping out the team." The two locked gazes again. "When I get the ball, I tend to go off in my own direction. Sometimes we lose because of it."

The older inkling closed his eyes, and then he let out a sigh. He opened his eyes again and asked, "Have you worked on improving your teamwork?"

"Well, I work best with my best friends," Roy started. "When we're in a ranked battle, and even in turf wars, together, we try anything we can to win. Don't get me wrong, my teammates are also my friends, but…" He bit his lip. How could he explain? He has gone through so much with the Rainbow Squids. They've been friends since they were small squids, and now, they were inseparable. "…We've known each other for so, so, long."

"Are your teammates interested in turf wars?"

"Not all of them are inklings, so a lot of them kinda… can't. I have played a turf war or two with the squids on my team, though. We usually get together to practice baskfishball."

"How often do you get together?"

"Twice a week, usually. Sometimes it's once a week, other times it's every day, sometimes we don't practice together at all that week."

"I see. Now, how do you think these skills will transfer over to the workplace?"

Anxiety bubbled in the red-haired inkling's chest again. _Here comes the hard part._ "W-Well, I can get stuff from hard-to-reach places because I'm tall and all. And, if I get along with my co-workers well, we can be efficient in getting drinks out to the customers, therefore making everything go faster."

Mr. Carp nodded and then asked, "Now, what are your weaknesses?"

"My weaknesses?" Roy gulped. "Well, I'm impatient, and I get mad easily. I can't hide it sometimes."

"I see. What would you bring to the workplace?"

"I would make Starfish Drinks lines go faster, so people can get their coffee or whatever faster. How would I do that? Well, I would try to make my drinks as fast as possible. Maybe if they see me do it, everyone else would speed up, too."

"Interesting…" Mr. Carp scanned the paper he was holding before looking back up at the red-eyed inkling. "Last question. Why should I hire you?"

"Why? Well, I'm efficient, fast, and overall, I'd make the place better for everyone, for both the customers and the employees," Roy immediately blurted out. Afterwards, he made a small sound. Should he have really said that?

"Alright." The interviewer lined up the papers on the desk again and stood up, picking up the mug as well. "That will be all. I'll send these notes to the manager of this establishment for review. If you get an email or call from us within one week of today, you got the job, squid. If you don't, well… then you didn't get it."

"Okay." The tanned inkling also lifted himself off the chair. "Have a nice day," he said before leaving the room, waving to Mr. Carp.

"You too." He held the door open for the older inkling to leave, and then shut the door once they were out. Roy walked towards the end of the hallway and opened the door there, entering the main area of Starfish Drinks.

"Hey, Blacktip!" a familiar voice called. The red-haired inkling whipped his head around to see Molas at the counter. He had paused writing a name on the coffee cup to look up at him. "How did it go?"

The other inkling shrugged. "It was okay."

"Think they'll hire ya?"

"They take just about anyone, don't they?"

"Well, they do, _but_ people have been rejected before. Like my friend Ryan. Apparently, they rejected him because he had terrible grades."

Roy started to get a little nervous. "Does he work here now…?"

"Oh, no. He started a food truck a few months ago, almost immediately after we graduated. He's doing pretty fine, last time I checked," Molas replied. "But, you should be fine." He nodded. "I'll be looking forward to working with ya."

"But that's if I get the job," he added. The two chuckled, and then the inkling with his hair swept to the side said, "Alright, see you later."

"K, bye."

Roy left the coffee shop, and it was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had nothing to worry about now. He'll go to the square and see his friends, and they'll congratulate him. That was their plan. He looked over at the silver car he drove here in. _It can wait_. Still in his suit and tie, he started walking down the sidewalk in the direction of Inkopolis Square. He pulled out his phone and texted his friends that he was going there now.

"Hey, inkling!" someone suddenly called, and suddenly, the red-haired inkling felt something light hit his side. He turned around to see a group of young sea urchins, snickering. Next to Roy was a piece of crumbled-up paper, so he picked it up. He then unfolded it to see what was written inside, which was a poorly drawn portrait of himself with a goofy face. 'Stupid' labeled it.

"What?!" he growled, ripping the drawing into pieces. One of the urchins through another piece of paper at him, though he didn't bother to pick it up this time.

"You going to a party?" the same urchin sneered. "Cause Inkopolis Square isn't the place for fancy parties."

"That suit doesn't look too awfully fresh either!" another urchin heckled. "You need better fashion taste if you wanna get into the square."

"I was at an interview!" Roy snapped, taking a step closer to the group of sea urchins. "I don't normally look like this!"

"I don't like your hair," a third urchin commented.

 _At least this isn't two years in the past,_ the red-haired inkling thought. _I should have worn a ponytail instead of keeping my hair down back then._ "I put time and effort into this!" he said instead, clenching his fists. "No one else cares, so why do you?!"

"Because I do," that urchin replied bluntly.

"That hair isn't all that fresh either!" the second urchin jeered.

"Yeah, it really emphasizes the fancy look," added the first urchin. "We don't go for fancy here."

"Alright, if you guys don't stop, you all are gonna receive the beating of your lifetime," Roy threatened, pounding a fist into his hand. "I bet I can beat you in three seconds splat." All of the sea urchins looked at each other aghast, and then all of them fled the area. He smirked. He didn't like doing them, but threats always seemed to work. With them gone, he continued walking down the sidewalk, taking in deep breaths to calm himself down. He would hate to arrive in a bad mood.

Soon enough, he arrived at the square, and looked around. Quickly, he noticed the Rainbow Squids, all chatting with the signs they had earlier. It seemed that they noticed him too, as he saw Yuri talking excitedly. He walked up to them, everyone already turned to look at him.

"Hey, Roy," Inigo greeted. "How did it go?"

"I think it went fine," the red-haired inkling lied. In his opinion, it did not go so great.

"Great!" Yuri cheered. "You'll get the job for sure!"

"Wait, what did he apply for again?" Alexis asked suddenly.

"Barista," Roy answered.

"Oh, okay. Sounds like a neat job," the young inkling said.

"Either way, congratulations," Octavia spoke up.

"Yeah, congratulations!" Bonnie echoed.

"Congrats," Perry then added.

The red-haired inkling smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"'ny time, pal," the purple-haired inkling said, winking. "How about a turf war?"

"A turf war?" Via pondered. "Sounds like a solid plan to me." She looked at her friend. "You might wanna change your clothes, though."

"I know, I know," the tan-skinned inkling muttered. "There was really bad traffic when I was driving to Starfish Drinks, though. It'd be a while before we can actually do a turf war."

"Why not buy new clothes?" Inigo suggested. "You can change in the fitting rooms of one of the shops, put your suit in your car, and then we can be on our merry way."

"That's… not a bad idea," Roy noted. "Let's go!" Looking over at Shella Fresh, he started to dash over to it.

"Wait for me!" Via called. "I'll be your fashion adviser!"

"Don't forget me!" the indigo-haired inkling shouted.

"And me!" Alexis exclaimed.

"I'm comin' too," Perry blurted out.

"Well, guess I'm going in, too," Yuri said.

"If everyone else is going in, then so am I," Bonnie finished.

All of the Rainbow Squids arrived at the entrance way of the shoe shop, and Roy's smile only got even bigger when he saw his friends surrounding him. He shrugged, and everyone went inside without any question. No matter what happened, it was clear that they would always stick together.


	9. Salmonid Payback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined to make up for her previous loss, Octavia does a Salmon Run once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, most of Mr. Grizz's dialogue is taken from the game.

_Octavia's PoV_

"I can't wait!" Alexis cheered from in her room. "The new Splatfest is tomorrow!"

"Flight vs. Invisibility, huh?" Octavia, who was sitting on her bed, remarked. Personally, she had picked Team Invisibility. "Hopefully, it shouldn't be as lop-sided as Mayo vs. Ketchup." She still shivered at how hard it was to get into a match against Team Ketchup members. Even in a room as bright and vibrant as her sister's.

"Didn't Mayo win?" the young inkling recalled. "Sure, it didn't have that many squids in it, but they still won!"

"Yeah, I know. But still." Via lied down on the orange-and-white checkered blanket and put her hands on her belly. "Those kinds of Splatfests suck sometimes."

"Why?" she asked. "That one was my first one, and it was great!"

"It kinda feels like everyone is against you when the team you pick isn't popular." The bronze-skinned inkling lifted a hand off herself and waved it around. "And if you pick the popular team, you play against people of the same team a lot."

"Well… those matches are still fun!" Alexis argued. "It's like any other turf war. They don't have the competitiveness of true Splatfest matches."

"You don't like variety every now and then?" she pondered. "It's why I played ranked battles a lot. Sometimes, I get sick of turf war, but I still wanna ink stuff. And, the rotation changes every few hours, so you'll never get bored of them!"

"Ranked is too competitive for me. I just wanna have fun, and turf wars are just so addicting!"

"They are, they are," the wavy-haired inkling agreed, twirling the long tentacle around her fingers. "Variety isn't a bad thing though."

"Speaking of them," her sister started, lifting herself off a red bean bag, "I have to go."

"To where?"

"Uh… I told my friend I would meet up with her after school today," Alexis replied. "And now that it's after school, I have to go now."

"Oh, okay. That's fine." Via smiled. "See ya later."

"You, too." Alexis dashed out of her room, and after some footsteps, she exited the house and was gone. The elder inkling decided that it was time to get out of the house as well. Her mind drifted back to the failed Salmon Run from a while ago. She had done a few other Salmon Runs since then, but none of them went as badly as that one. She smirked. It was time to get payback.

She, too, left the house and started walking towards the square. She could not tell where Alexis was anymore, since she was far ahead of her, but it did not matter. She was with her friends, she knew that. Today, Octavia's mind was set on Grizzco Industries. She arrived at the familiar dark entryway, with the strange music played inside emitting out of it. She took a step into the building, letting the dim lights settle in around her.

"Right on time, kid. I've got work for ya," the statue greeted. She frowned. It was always the same greeting he gave whenever she entered. Sometimes, she wondered how much Mr. Grizz actually cared about his workers.

"I'm going freelance," Via said to the statue.

"Then get on the boat," Mr. Grizz instructed. "Some other kids should be comin' pretty soon."

"Alright, I'll get on it." Octavia headed to the elevator, and a few moments later, she appeared on a boat. Looking around, she saw a few suits hanging on the clothing line spread across the ship. Oddly enough, one suit was missing. "Hello?" she then called, taking one of the suits. "Is anyone there?"

"Octavia?" someone answered. A jolt went through her when she heard her own name. Who was on this ship with her right now? Soon enough, a familiar boy with amber eyes emerged from below the deck.

"Will?" she asked. She had not seen the boy since the last Splatfest, and to be honest, she thought she would not see him again.

"Yeah, that's my name." He took off his cap, revealing his slicked-back hair, and dipped his head and winked before putting it back on. "What brings you here?"

"Well, this place gives me money," Via started to explain, "so I work here. Sometimes. It can be gross." She muttered the last sentence with a hint of bitterness.

"Hey! Salmonids are cute!" Will protested.

"Whatever." Via started to head towards the entrance to below the ship. "I'm changing. See you in a little bit."

By the time the bronze-skinned inkling had gotten fully dressed, two more inklings holding suits passed her as she was heading back up. She did not know them, but with how excited they were, she assumed the two were friends. Or, they're just excited. She couldn't exactly determine which was correct. When she got back on the deck, the boat had already detached itself from Inkopolis. It was drifting farther and farther away from her home, and the smell of the salty sea drifted around her. She leaned against a wall and crossed her arms, letting out a sigh.

"You don't look excited," Will remarked.

"I'm not," she confirmed. "I just wanna beat up salmonids for what happened a week or two ago."

"…What happened?"

"My friends and I got utterly destroyed by them! Me especially!" the wavy-haired inkling cried, throwing her hands out. "If splatlings didn't suck, then maybe we could have been fine!"

"You don't have to worry about them today." The amber-eyed inkling walked over to the poster dictating the weapons available to them today and put a rubber finger on it. "No splatlings whatsoever on here."

"Well, that's one good thing. Let me see that." Will stepped out of the way for the older inkling to look at the poster. Her mind drifted to Bonnie when she saw that the Classic Squiffer was a possible weapon. _She would love today,_ she silently remarked. _Maybe I could convince her to do a Salmon Run with me after this one._

Octavia heard more footsteps, and this time, another inkling emerged from the ship. "I'm ready!" she exclaimed. Her violet hair was tied into shredded pigtails, and one of her teeth was chipped.

"We have a while before we get to the Marooner's Bay," the boy informed. "It hasn't gotten dark yet."

"Aw." The girl, who was clearly young, plopped onto the ground. "I wish it didn't take so long to get there." She then squinted at Via. "Y'know, you remind me of a girl I know. Except older. And your hair's more of a plain old orange, and not a yellow-orange."

"I do, now?" The bronze-skinned inkling raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! There's a girl in my grade named Alexis. We're not friends, though." The violet-haired inkling smiled. "Just acquaintances!"

"…What school do you go to?" Though she was sure she was referring to her sister, she just wanted to make sure.

"West Inkopolis High School, why?"

"Yeah, that's my sister you're talking about," Octavia revealed. "Of course we look alike."

"Oh, cool," she simply said. "My name's Maggie, by the way." The girl got back up to her feet. "I came here with my friend. Her name's Bella." She glanced over at the entryway. "She's still down there."

"Eh, I don't know anyone there," Will commented. "I go to Central Inkopolis."

The wavy-haired inkling looked up at the sky. The previously blue sky now bloomed in shades of pink and orange. She gasped, causing the other two inklings present to look up at the sky, too. Maggie started to call for her friend's name, and soon enough, another young inkling with short pink hair barreled up onto the deck.

"So sorry!" Bella apologized. "I was just looking at the pictures under the deck!"

"It's fine," her friend assured. "It's the timing that counts."

Octavia looked past the ship and into the distance. Some cliffs came into view, and near it was an abandoned ship stuck to a chunk of land. Marooner's Bay. The orange-eyed inkling was never a big fan of the area, with the propellers especially bothering her. They always messed her up. The boat soon stopped, and it was soon time to super jump. Everyone's ink color shifted to a nice orange, and a few seconds later, everyone launched off the ship.

Via landed near the square where the egg basket would pop up, and she emerged from her puddle of ink with a Splat Brella in her hands. She shot a stream of ink out of it just to test the waters, and soon the canopy came up to protect her.

"Just having it up isn't effective for inking," Bella advised. The older inkling turned around to face the girl currently wielding the Splat Roller. "You have to pull the trigger again… and again… and again."

"Good call." Octavia put down her shield and started firing as much as she could. It was no Undercover Brella, but from what she has seen, it still fired at a good pace. She smiled. She knew for sure that this run would turn out better than the last one with her friends.

"The egg basket is ready and waiting," Mr. Grizz informed through the radio. The bronze-skinned inkling could faintly hear the mechanism shifting to reveal the aforementioned basket. "Now, go get me some golden eggs!" A foghorn sounded, and then the raspy voice commanded, "You've got a boss salmonid incoming. _Do your job!_ "

"Over here!" Will called. With the ink the group had put down, she slipped into it to swim over to where he was at. A Flyfish whirled ahead, floating around before it stopped to open its launchers. "Now! Throw a bomb!" He himself threw a bomb at one of the launchers, and it managed to land. Via emerged from the orange ink to throw a bomb at the other launcher. She succeeded like her teammate, and the boss salmonid went down soon after it launched its missiles.

Octavia started to run as the green targets appeared on the ground. She ran back over to the egg basket and watched as orange ripples made their way through the ink, heading towards her location. She smiled. As long as one egg from the Flyfish was in here, they would be good.

"Woah, woah, another one!" another voice called. Via walked over to the edge of the bow and looked down at the sand. A Steel Eel had emerged from the water, and Maggie was running from it, the Classic Squiffer in her hands. She made her way on the abandoned ship and looked down at her weapon. "Things are going badly! I barely know how to use this thing!"

"Maybe you should try staying on high ground," the bronze-skinned inkling advised. She looked over at the boss salmonid, whose eyes were set on the young inkling. "…Though, you might wanna run." Maggie nodded furiously and slipped back into the ink to run. The girl with pigtails dropped down to a pier, so the Steel Eel curved around the ship. When the salmonid manning the machine came within range, she began shooting at it until it exploded into orange ink. The other machine parts came crashing down and disappeared within an instant. "Come back up, Maggie," Via called. "It's safe." She then proceeded to grab the eggs the Steel Eel dropped.

"U-Uh, okay!" Via heard Maggie arrive on the top of the ship, followed by the charging and firing of the Classic Squiffer. "I'm best staying up here, like you said. I'll take your word for it," she then told her.

"Good." Once she was finished putting the eggs in the basket, she started to search for another boss salmonid, its arrival marked with yet another horn. She heard the roar of an engine growing near, cluing her to the presence of a Scrapper. The wavy-haired inkling looked around, her orange eyes darting around the area. The sound grew louder and louder, and the girl looked behind her. She started shooting it until sparks flew out of the machine the salmonid road, and the metal slumped. She swung around it and shot it until it golden eggs burst out. "There's more eggs over here!" she shouted before taking one herself.

"Well, we need help here!" she then heard Bella call. Octavia made her way over to the opposite side of the ship to see two Steelheads closing in on her and Will. They launched their bombs, and the two inklings dove out of the way. Soon enough, Maggie arrived next to her.

"What do I do?!" she cried, firing her charger rapidly.

"Charge up a shot and aim for the bombs," Via commanded. She noticed other salmonids closing on them, the ones that are much, much weaker. "I'll deal with them."

"Um… alright!" The girl with pigtails lifted her squiffer, and she stepped back as the boss salmonids wandered around. In the meantime, the bronze-skinned inkling shot at the Chums and Cohocks coming their way, easily bringing them down. She heard a grunt, followed by the firing of the Classic Squiffer. One of the Steelheads exploded, and three golden eggs floated to the ground.

Regarding the other one, Bella tried doing a vertical swing with her roller, and succeeded somewhat. Orange ink now spotted the green bomb it was charging, and quickly did another bomb come crashing down on the ship. Bella screamed as she was caught in the explosion. Will, who narrowly evaded the explosion, gasped, and started to shoot where she had splatted. It was in vein, though, as several Smallfries assaulted him, causing him to blow up in green ink, too.

"Time for the shield." Octavia pulled out the canopy and positioned herself where she could get both fallen co-workers when it launched off of the handle. Understandably, salmonids started to attack the shield, green ink splatting onto it. Soon enough, she saw the canopy detach from the main body of the Brella. It managed to revive Will before another Chum hit it, breaking it. In the background, she heard the second Steelhead explode into bits of metal and orange ink.

"Booyah!" the amber-eyed inkling exclaimed, taking the moment to revive Bella. He snatched one of the golden eggs and hopped on the lift to return to the egg basket. Once the area was cleared of salmonids for the most part, all of the other inklings present took the eggs back to the basket, one at a time. Quickly, more boss salmonids breeched the surface and began their attack on the inklings.

Notably, a green beam of ink shot through the air, surprising Via for a moment. She turned around to see a Stinger towering above the ship. She started to make her way over when the pots it stood on started to come crashing down. Soon enough, she could see it no more, and she heard the ping of golden eggs appearing. She smiled and arrived to collect them.

The rest of the wave went normally, with the team working together to bring down boss salmonids. Whenever one of the workers went down, every did their duty and revived fallen co-workers. With the quota already met, Octavia was confident that this Salmon Run was going to be a successful one. Soon enough, the egg basket went down into the ground, and the salmonids started to retreat.

"We did it!" Maggie exclaimed. "We made it through a wave!"

"Don't get too cocky," Will advised. "Everything could turn bad the next wave."

The team started to cover the green ink back up with orange ink, when they were launched back to the egg basket. When the wavy-haired inkling reemerged from it, she found herself holding the weapon belonging to her own friend. The Classic Squiffer. Nothing particularly interesting happened as the countdown started and the egg basket appeared once more. All she did was ink until the horn sounded once again.

The second wave went similarly to the first, except the first boss salmonid to appear this time was a Maws. It caught Maggie, who now held a Splat Roller, off guard, and she was gobbled up once Maws made its move.

"Oh no!" Bella cried. She pulled out a bomb filled with orange ink and chucked it towards the green rings that appeared around Octavia. She jumped out of the way, letting the boss salmonid eat the grenade instead. Orange ink covered the area around where the bomb had landed as golden eggs floated down from Maws's remains. "There, now we're good!"

"What about me?!" the fallen co-worker cried, emerging from the ink as a life preserver. "Someone revive me!"

"Oh, yeah." With the Splash-o-matic she now held, the short-haired inkling shot the life preserver a few times, and her friend bounded right back up.

"Now," started Will, twirling the Splat Brella in his hands, "we can fight some more."

"Then let's get to it." Everyone looked at each other and nodded, and then they charged towards the attacking salmonids. Boss salmonids fell, and from there, there was a steady stream of golden eggs flowing from the battlefield to the egg basket. The group met the quota early on and being splatted was rare in this wave.

Soon enough, the egg basket disappeared once again, and everyone cheered. They launched back to the spawn points, and Via appeared once more, this time with the Splat Roller in her hands. The land around them shrunk, and darkness quickly fell over the land. _Uh oh,_ the bronze-skinned inkling thought. _This can't be good_.

"An event!" Maggie exclaimed. "I wonder what's gonna happen!"

"I hope we see Grillers," Bella enthused. "I love those!"

"Grillers?" A grimace crossed Octavia's features. "I hate them."

"Whatever." The short-haired inkling leaned against the railing. "Let's just stay close."

"Yeah, good idea," Will agreed. He started charging the Classic Squiffer. "Just in case."

"The salmonids are restless," Mr. Grizz noticed. At that moment, glowing bugs started dancing around Maggie. She squeaked, trying to swat them away. "Oh, I see why—there are glowflies here. Once they start glowing, buckle up."

"Ugh, glowflies," Via remarked. "They suck."

"Inkcoming!" Bella yelled. Running next to her friend, she put up the shield of the brella she was holding as the salmonids started to swarm onto the bow. The canopy soon detached itself, and it started to roll through the red-eyed salmonids. Will, on the other hand, started firing charged shots as much as he could. The orange-eyed inkling decided to help by swinging her roller down, letting any salmonid coming their way to be crushed. As soon as the short-haired inkling took down an incoming Goldie, the glowflies on Maggie dispersed and flew over to Will.

"Dear cod," he muttered, pressing tightly against the railing. Via saw panic swarm in his eyes as his aim became messy. She ran over to him and brought down the Splat Roller, slowly inching towards the grates connecting one side of the ship to the other.

"I'll clear a path, and maybe we can get on the other side," she explained.

"Is that really a good idea?" Maggie questioned. "We haven't met the quota, and going over there would just make it harder."

The wavy-haired inkling's shoulders relaxed, jaw falling open a little bit as she realized her mistake. For a moment, she felt dumb. Dumb for thinking her plan was a good one. Maggie had a point—they would certainly fail if they proceeded with her plan. It was not until she dropped the Splat Roller when she returned to her senses. She gasped as salmonids swarmed around her and Will and picked the roller back up once she shook off the disbelief. She circled around the olive-skinned inkling and crushed the salmonids under her roller.

"Another Goldie!" Bella announced. She started shooting it as it lumbered towards the group, and she brought it down like she did with the first one. Golden eggs floated to the ground, and the group took the brief opportunity to pop them into the basket. The glowflies around Will disappeared, now appearing on the short-haired inkling.

"Jokes on you, salmonids!" she jested, sticking a tongue out. "I have my trusty shield with me!" The canopy of the brella flared out, and soon enough, it launched towards the salmonids. "…Or maybe not," she murmured, losing her previous bravado.

"Just try to get away," Will commanded. "I'll shoot the Goldie once it pops up."

"And for the time being, I'll be your steamroller," Octavia added. With the roller still down on the ground, she walked over to Bella and stood in front of her, standing tall. With the younger inkling directly behind her, the salmonids charged head-first into her roller, and they all splatted. She smirked. The ones smart enough to go around her were splatted by Maggie and Bella instead.

Soon enough, she saw a flash of gold in the distance. The Goldie. The girls backed up, allowing it to come within range of the Classic Squiffer Will was holding. Soon, a stream of orange pierced the air, and the Goldie exploded into orange ink alongside it. Everyone grabbed the eggs and tossed them into the egg basket.

"We only need… two more eggs," Maggie read. "So, one more Goldie to shoot down!"

"That's good, 'cause I see another one already," Will commented. He charged up the squiffer again and held it up. "Just needs to come closer…"

The bronze-skinned inkling's eyes widened when she saw a glowing bug fly past her face. And then another. And another. Soon, she saw the salmonids swarming towards her. It was then she realized that she was the creatures' next target.

"Oh, no you don't!" She slammed down her roller, a wave of orange ink sweeping towards the crazed salmonids. Ink splatted onto them, and the other girls were able to finish the injured salmonids off. Without any more commands, they did as Via hoped—take down the salmonids rushing towards her. She gritted her teeth as the sound of buzzing grew loud in her ears. She was determined to make it through the night.

Will shot down the boss salmonid, leaving behind golden eggs. Yet, the glowflies around her still did not disperse. She frowned. "Go away already," she muttered, using a free hand to swat one away. Maggie and Will went past her in order to collect the eggs, but she grew nervous again as another golden glow appeared on the horizon. She took a few steps forward, the salmonids running towards her still being crushed by the roller. All of a sudden, the glowflies around her disappeared, and the salmonids turned to Will.

"Again?!" he cried. Via ran over to him, rolling over the Chums in her path. Her eyes widened when she noticed the net containing the golden egg, still on her back.

"If you still have an egg…" she started, trailing off. "…Then we still need one more to meet the quota."

"I'll get it," Bella said. A Snatcher snuck up on the remaining egg, snickering. "Shoo," she hissed, shooting the thief with orange ink. She swiped the egg and threw it into the egg basket. "There! Now the quota is met!"

"I still nee-" Will's voice was cut off when three Chums swung their frying pans at him simultaneously, causing him to splat. The glowflies around him disappeared, and now they surrounded Maggie. She screamed and started to shoot wildly. Octavia, too, started to swing her Splat Roller wildly at an attempt to ward off the salmonids. In the process, she managed to revive Will once his life preserved bobbed up to the surface. When she whacked his head instead of the ground, the bronze-skinned inkling put the roller down on the ground to stay there, restarting her previous method.

The glowflies continued to cycle through the inklings until the sky grew brighter again. The eyes of the salmonids lost their devilish glow, and all of them returned to the sea.

"We did it!" Maggie cheered. "We survived!"

"We would have survived anyways," Octavia remarked, "but yeah, we survived."

"Well done," Mr. Grizz congratulated. "That's the last of 'em. Now get back to the boat." All of the inklings transformed into a squid, preparing to super jump. Promptly, everyone launched off the island, their target the boat. When Via landed on the vessel, she bowed and then stretched.

"Woo," she huffed. "We're done." _And I got my payback._

The radio on the boat started to buzz to life, and then the familiar voice said, "Let's see… You harvested 43 golden eggs this time. Nice haul."

"Thanks, Grizz!" Maggie chirped.

"Can he even hear you?" Will pondered.

"I dunno," the pigtailed inkling replied, shrugging. "Maybe. But nothing's better than showing your appreciation!"

"So, who all's gonna stay for the next round?" Bella queried, pounding a fist into her hand. "Can't wait to beat up more salmonids."

"I'm going back," Octavia answered. "I've done what I needed to do." She took off the workers' hat. "I don't need to be here anymore."

And with that, the orange-eyed inkling returned to Inkopolis with her revenge fulfilled.


	10. Slip and Slide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the Flight vs. Invisibility Splatfest, Yuri and friends find themselves facing off against a dualie-wielding team.

Yuri's PoV

"Booyah! Splatfest time!" the yellow-eyed inkling cheered, pumping a fist as he donned his Team Flight tee.

Currently, the Rainbow Squids were at the usual table, watching as Pearl and Marina performed on the stage hanging above the entrance to the lobby of the Deca Tower. Blue and green jellyfish danced everywhere, while inklings joined along in the celebration. The inklings at the table did a toast with their drinks and began to drink.

"Sometimes, I forget how much I like Crusty Sean's drinks," Octavia remarked. She was wearing the lime green t-shirt of the Invisibility Team. "But it's still a grease trap."

"And I forgot how much we argued at the last Splatfest!" Alexis added, her snark directed towards her own sister. "Seriously, we chose opposing teams, again. I'm Flight, you're Invisibility." She groaned. "I wonder if it'll be the same way next time."

"Maybe it will be, maybe it won't," the wavy-haired inkling said, waving her drink around.

"We'll see," Inigo commented. "The future… well, that's not set in stone." Like Octavia, he was on Team Invisibility.

"So… when we gonna go, y'know, fight?" Perry asked. "It's kinda boring just sittin' here."

"It is," Roy agreed. "But, I do wanna finish my drink."

"Why don't we talk until then?" Yuri suggested. He put down his drink and threw his hands down on the table. "So, who do ya think is gonna win? Flight or Invisibility?"

"Invisibility, of course!" Octavia replied. "I have to support my team!"

"Nah, Flight's gonna win," argued Perry. He tugged the blue shirt he was wearing. "I know it will."

"I think it's pretty obvious we all support the teams we chose," the inkling with the ponytail pointed out. "So, why are we even asking this question?"

"I just wanted to pass the time…" the spiky-haired inkling pouted. He picked up his drink again and started to drink it once more. Unsurprisingly, he was the first one to finish, so while he waited for his friends to finished, he sat in his seat, anxiously holding the empty cup. He pulled out his phone to see Squidsagram notifications. Most of the pictures were of his classmates participating in the Splatfest, much to Yuri's dismay.

The next person to finish was Roy. He tossed the cup into the trash can and stretched out his arms. Perry finished shortly after he did and did the same thing as the inkling with his hair slicked to the side. He was followed by Alexis, then Octavia, who decided to throw their cups into the trash at the same time to see if they would make it or not. Alexis did, while Via did not, causing the former to cry out in triumph. At this point, Yuri decided to throw away his cup, too, simply tossing it into the bin.

"Everyone on Team Flight is finished," commented Roy. "Everyone on Team Invisibility is not." He stood up and pushed in his chair. "Which means, me, Yuri, Alexis, and Perry can all go to the lobby together."

"What about us?" Bonnie questioned, gesturing between her and Inigo. "Just because we're slow doesn't mean you all can speed right along without us."

"Yeah, let's wait for them," Yuri agreed with her.

The red-eyed inkling sighed. "…If you say so."

After the two inklings finished their drinks, the Rainbow Squids walked to the Deca Tower and entered the lobby. Like in all Splatfests, it was packed to the point where it can be hard to breath sometimes. A claustrophobic friend of Yuri's stopped attending Splatfests after the Squid Sisters' first one due to this. Everyone went down to the storage room and grabbed their weapons.

"Y'know, I've been meaning to ask—why is there an Inkbrush in here all of a sudden?" Bonnie asked while they were in the dark room.

"Oh, that's mine," Perry replied. "I bought it a week or so ago." The purple-eyed inkling picked up his Sloshing Machine. "I've been meaning to take it home, but… I haven't."

"…Okay, then." The inkling with the double bun picked up her Classic Squiffer, and the group walked back up to the main floor of the lobby. They entered the elevators, with the ones in Team Flight in one and Team Invisibility in the other. Inside the elevator, Yuri set the barrel of the splatling to the floor and started to fiddle around on his phone. Perry sat on his Sloshing Machine, while Alexis twirled around her Splat Dualies and Roy fiddled with his Luna Blaster.

Soon enough, a group of girls, all holding some dualies, entered the elevator. The spiky-haired inkling noticed that they all wore matching outfits, with only their skin and eyes to distinguish them. Of course, this group wore the tee denotating them as part of Team Invisibility. On their heads were lime green backwards caps, and on their feet were squid-stitch slip-ons. They all huddled together, speaking about things Yuri did not really care about.

The door closed, beginning the ascent downwards. The dark-skinned inkling slid his phone back into his pocket and started leaning on his Heavy Splatling Deco.

"Fist bump?" he murmured, holding out his hand. His teammates nodded and they bumped fists, with Yuri giving a thumbs-up afterwards. Soon, a grate opened up beneath their feet. Heaving the splatling up, he then slipped into the grate in his squid form. Next thing he knew, he was in an unfamiliar place. Shifty Station, he assumed. This time, he started off on a high platform, with the steps going down until it reached the middle of the stage.

"Let's ink this place up," the dark-skinned inkling muttered, holding the trigger of the splatling down. While Roy and Alexis rushed towards the center of the arena, Yuri stayed behind, inking the turf that remained. Perry helped him at first, but he abandoned him for the center soon enough. Once the area was decently inked, Yuri started to advance towards where the other inklings were.

He caught the first hint of blue on the opposite side of the pit, a girl with Dualie Squelchers was dodging Roy's fire, using the sliding it brought to her advantage. Her long hair seemed to flow in the wind as she rolled around him. To his surprise, the red-eyed inkling was holding up his own pretty well. She must have bad aim, he thought. Yuri started to charge up his Heavy Splatling Deco again and walked towards her. Once he was within range of her, he started to fire. She continued to dodge the blaster attacks, ignoring him, but Roy seemed to have notice, as he stood in place for a little bit. Alarm shot through his body as the girl splatted his friend. In a flash, he fell as well.

Yuri respawned and started to swim back to the pit. On the edge of it, he noticed Alexis exchanging fire with another girl that wielded Enperry Splat Dualies. Her enemy threw a Curling Bomb down to the ground, which started bouncing off the walls. As it headed towards him, the spiky-haired inkling set up a Splash Wall in front of him, hoping it would bounce off of it. He ran away soon afterwards. He reemerged from the ink and started charging up his splatling again when the platform he was standing up suddenly moved upwards. He gasped, but continued to charge it up regardless. Using the elevation, he started firing down towards the ground, hoping to splat someone along the way. He did, splatting a girl who had plain ol' Splat Dualies.

There was always something so satisfying about splatting someone with a splatling. Like with chargers, it had to be charged up, but the rapid-fire of a charged-up splatling was much more effective in inking turf in a wide area. However, it came with the disadvantage of a splatling being rather hard to aim in his opinion. Years of practice have improved this, but regardless, the feeling of satisfaction was still there. Yuri remained on the platform, since no one could really reach him without a charger. The platform lowered again soon enough, so he went off it to find somewhere else to stand and fire.

Yuri now stood in the very most center of the stage where he continued to ink the area around him. In the corner of his eye, he saw globs of ink rain down upon the girls below every-so-often, leaving him to assume that Perry was up on a higher platform somewhere. As a girl with Dapple Dualies ran towards him, often rolling with lightning speed, he had to back up to make sure he did not get hit. The girl, who had honey-colored skin and cyan eyes, used this speed to dodge the bullets he fired, though it was not that effective, as he was able to splat her with the downtime she had between each two rolls. Unfortunately, he was splatted soon after by an unknown perpetrator, since he was heavily damaged from the exchange.

The dark-skinned inkling respawned, and soon after him was Alexis. "You got splatted, too, huh?" he muttered.

"Yeah. I found the girl with the Enperry dualies again, so we fought again, and then she splatted me." She stepped off the spawn point and looked off into the distance. "Look, they're coming up here," she said, alerting the older inkling of lime green ink creeping up the hill. Without saying another word, she ran off towards the center once more.

Guess it's my job to splat whoever's coming up here, then. He dipped into the blue ink and started swimming to the start of the lime green ink on the hill. On the way, he saw rings of blue speed towards the ground, exploding on compact. Looking up, he saw Roy run past him, inking a path through the sticky ink to get to the unknown inkling. On the other side of his vision, he saw green pellets fly past him, aiming at Roy. He reemerged and began to charge up his splatling again.

Roy said nothing as he charged it up to its full potential, releasing a barrage of blue ink in the end. At the end of the walkway was the girl with the Dualie Squelchers, shooting at him as he walked towards her. They managed to splat at the same time, leaving puddles of green and blue ink behind. Once he respawned from that defeat, Yuri returned to the area, where the green puddle was already covered up. Shrugging, he decided to swim again, lurking the area for another inkling to try and splat. Later, he noticed that two of the side platforms had raised again. Like he had expected, Perry was on one of them, hurling blue ink out of his weapon.

Thus, Yuri decided it was time to emerge from the ink once more and fire. He charged up the Heavy Splatling Deco and let it fire, giving a toothy smirk. He was confident that they would win, despite the girls closing in on them earlier. The girl with the Dapple Dualies had appeared again, rolling towards him. Gasping, he inked the side of the hill that led to one of the raised platforms and swam up it. He hopped onto it and started charging up his splatling again to try to splat her. Before it finished, however, a blue ring exploded behind her, causing her to explode. A few ripples appeared in the ink before someone emerged from the puddle where she once stood, revealing Roy.

"These dualie girls are fast," the tall inkling remarked, running a hand through the tentacles sitting on his head. "Sometimes I wonder what went through the producer's mind when they made these things."

"Well, they exist now." Yuri started to fire off his splatling, aiming towards the center. "Personally, I think they're cool, but I just can't figure out how to use them well." His smirk fell, leaving behind a straight face. The last time he used dualies was during a Salmon Run. Much to his dismay, he rolled into the water on accident, causing a crew wipe. He had not bothered to tell his friends, and he certainly would not tell them now.

"I hate them," he muttered, starting to shoot again once another girl, the girl with the Enperry Splat Dualies, approached them. Within a hit or two, he managed to splat her. "They're annoying and they keep dodging my fire."

"Woah, hate's a strong word," the spiky-haired inkling remarked. "You might not want to say that in front of Alexis… or any of the girls on the other team, in fact."

"I think that Enperry girl already heard me," Roy growled. "Whatever, I know what to say and what not to say. Don't have to worry about me hurting feelings anytime soon." As he walked back towards the center, he turned around, moonwalking. "But for now, we have a fight to win."

"R-Right!" he stammered, a little wary from his friend's outburst. He turned his attention back to the area, and the platform he stood on lowered once more. In contrast, the middle area had risen up above him, giving leverage to those on it. Lime green ink now launched towards the ground. He looked up to see the girl with the Splat Dualies shooting down at him, little expression present on her face. Roy climbed up to the top of the crate and started shooting at her. Due to the short range, the girl was able to hear the bursts of his blaster and quickly jumped off the platform. The girl with the Dualie Squelchers then joined her at started shooting at the tan-skinned inkling.

However, another girl managed to save her friend. From the shadows emerged Alexis, rolling into the battlefield and shooting the pale-skinned inkling with the Dualie Squelchers. She let out a scream as she was ambushed, causing the girl next to her to turn around. From there, Yuri caught a glimpse of her purple eyes, which matched her beige skin quite well. The girl with the Splat Dualies started shooting at the bronze-skinned inkling, who dodged her attacks.

"Hah! Can't catch me!" she taunted, sticking out a tongue and winking. Alexis rolled again and started shooting at her, but the other girl rolled out of the way.

"Allow me to help," the dark-skinned inkling offered, charging up his Heavy Splatling Deco. He soon released the trigger, and yet another barrage of blue ink flew out of the barrel of it. The other girl flinched as soon as the ink hit her, and soon, she splatted from the combined efforts of Alexis and Yuri.

"Booyah!" the short-haired inkling cheered. "She's down!"

With that, the whistles blew, and everyone stopped moving. Yuri slumped down to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief. Finally. It was over. His splatling fell on its side, making the bottom of it sticky with the blue ink. He started to hug it, a smile spreading across his face. Alexis shrugged and joined him, sitting down with her legs crossed. Soon, he was joined by Roy, who sat next to the younger inkling, and at last, Perry walked up to them and sat down, putting his Sloshing Machine next to him. With smiles, the four lied down and looked up at the artificial stars.

"I never thought Shifty Station could be so pretty," Yuri muttered.

"I don't know," Alexis admitted. "It reminds me of something. Something bad. I can't remember where, it was just a bad thing."

"But you gotta admit, those panels do a dang good job at making stars," Perry agreed with his dark-skinned friend. "It also has that special Marina flare," he said while throwing his hand out, spreading out his fingers. "I wonder where she learned how to make stages."

"I think we'll never know," Roy commented, resting his Luna Blaster on his chest.

"Aw, don't say that," Yuri chirped. "Maybe we will find out! …Someday."

"Yeah, someday," Alexis agreed.

"Well, our main focus right now is the Splatfest, and right now, we're waiting for the Judds to come on over," the red-eyed inkling pointed out. "Which might be a while."

A few minutes later, the two cats had appeared on the top platform, right on the block in the center of it. It was one of the girls who alerted them to it, so everyone stood up to watch Judd and Li'l Judd judge the match. Yuri watched in anticipation as they started dancing, and then, Li'l Judd pulled out a lime green flag from behind his back and struck it outwards, causing the bigger cat to fall on his back.

"We lost?!" Perry cried out. "I thought for sure we were doing great in the last few seconds there!"

"Actually," started a new voice. The group turned around to see the girl with the Splat Dualies walking towards them, with her finger on the trigger of one of them. "Tati and Erin inked most of your side while you guys were busy inking the center of the map." She pressed down the trigger, which did nothing, and folded her arms. "Well, Reia and I kept you busy, which was a good thing." She smirked. "Because we won!"

"That's not a good thing!" Roy snapped. "We lost! You sneaky little b-"

"Not in front of Alexis!" Yuri cried, covering his friend's mouth.

The purple-eyed girl rolled her eyes, followed by her dualies. "You squids are sore losers." She turned around and started walking back to her teammates. "Come on, ladies. Let's go back."

"That means we better get back, too," Perry pointed out. With that, all of the inklings in the arena prepared to super jump, and they launched into the sky, out of the Shifty Station. When they transformed back, they were back in the tower, with the map displayed on the screen. As fate would have it, the girl with the Splat Dualies was right—most of the Rainbow Squids' side of the map was spotted heavily with the lime green color of the enemy team.

"See?" the aforementioned girl sneered, a cocky smile plastered on her face. "We won."

"We already got the message, thanks," Roy growled. He pressed a button, displaying everyone's stats of the battle.

"Oh, I splatted a lot of people," Yuri commented, leaning in to see the screen.

"Hey, let me see," the girl with the Dapple Dualies butted in, pushing past Yuri and Roy. She looked up at the top of the screen and bit her lip. "I didn't splat as many squids as I hoped."

"But you were the best this time around," the girl with the Dualie Squelchers pointed out. "And look—I'm right below you!"

The Rainbow Squids gave each other nervous glances. "…Should we go, now?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, that might be for the best," Perry replied. He patted her on the back, pushing her to leave the room they were in, back into the lobby. Yuri and Roy soon followed them, and soon enough, they found themselves back into the crowded lobby. The dark-skinned inkling looked around for his other friends, in hopes of spotting them.

"Can you see them?" Alexis asked, jumping up and down.

"No, can't see them," Roy admitted. "It's pretty hard when everyone's hair colors are just blue and green."

"What about hats?" Yuri pointed out. "Via's wearing her straw boater, Bonnie's wearing the retro specs, and Inigo…well, he has nothing on his head. Like usual."

"Well, a lot of people wear the same hats as them," the tan-skinned inkling pointed out. "It would still be pretty hard to find them regardless."

"So, we should just play another match?" Perry asked.

"Yeah, another match wouldn't a bad idea," the bronze-skinned inkling agreed.

"Then, let's go!" Yuri exclaimed. He promptly marched into the elevator once more, with his friends not far behind. Once again, they were waiting for yet another team into enter the room with them, Invisibility or not.

"Think we'll win this one?" Alexis pondered.

"Don't worry, Alexis," the dark-skinned inkling assured, winking. "Win or lose, it's the effort that counts!"


	11. Test Your Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis is overjoyed when Sheldon has a new weapon for her to test - the Hero Dualies!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.  
> Most of Marie's and Sheldon's dialogue come from the game, while Marina's and Pearl's dialogue are taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

" _Yayerrrrrrr_! Flight or fight!" Pearl boldly declared upon the reveal of the winner of the latest Splatfest.

"Hooray!" Yuri cheered. "Flight won!"

"And Invisibility lost…" Bonnie muttered, head on the table as she scrolled through the contents of her phone.

"Buh…" Marina murmured upon hearing her friend's announcement.

"Flight rules! We shine like bright jewels, with the right tools to smite fools!" the idol rapped.

"That's my girl," Perry muttered, pulling his phone out to record the huge screen.

"Are you seriously going to write raps for all of your victory speeches?" Marina pondered, putting a hand near her mouth.

"Write raps? Nah. These rhymes come straight off the dome." The short inkling chuckled. "I bet you wish you were invisible right now, huh?" The taller, funny-looking one simply gaped at shock at her, so Pearl continued on to say, "If you participated in the Splatfest, your prizes are waiting in the Square!"

"Well, that's done and done," Inigo said as Off the Hook went on to announce the latest stages. "I've been itching to play Rainmaker again." Soon after he said that, the duo announced that Splat Zones was the latest game mode in ranked battles. "…Or maybe not," he groaned.

"I dunno, I would like to play some Splat Zones," the purple-haired inkling commented. Upon returning his Splatfest tee, he ended up changing into a simple white t-shirt. "They're fun."

While the Rainbow Squids discussed their plans for today, another thing has been in the back of Alexis's mind for a while—when she could continue her quest to save the Great Zapfish. Since she has started, she powered her way through Tentakeel Outpost. Marie was surprised by her skill, but regardless, she called someone else to help them along the way—Sheldon. Alexis was not too thrilled that he was going to help, but he had proven himself useful by supplying her with a special roller. Due to lack of experience, she was splatted several times within the underground hideout of the Octarians, but eventually, she rescued the Zapfish from there.

Now, she wondered if Sheldon had his next weapon ready. By the time she got out of the lair, he had still not finalized the weapon for real-world use. She visited Marie every day since then, and today, she was going to try again.

"Hey, guys?" she spoke up, getting out of her chair. "I'm gonna go solo for a little bit."

"Again?" Roy whined. "You've been going solo quite a bit these days."

"It's only been a few weeks," the young inkling pointed out.

"Still!"

"Let her go," Octavia said to the red-haired inkling. She rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine with it."

"Alright, fine. You can go," the tall inkling gave in. "Just be back before sunset."

"Don't worry." Alexis smiled. "I'll keep an eye on the time."

As she started walking towards the familiar grate, she looked over her shoulder to see if the Rainbow Squids were paying attention to her. They were not, going back to talking to each other again. Smiling, she slipped into the grate to travel to Octo Canyon. When she emerged from the grate, she already had her Hero Suit on, as if it had been bound to her the moment she walked into the canyon. Near the cabin, Marie stood there like she usually did, twirling her umbrella. When she noticed the newcomer, she smiled.

"Hey, Agent 4," she greeted. "I have some news for you."

"Is Sheldon finally done?" the bronze-skinned inkling asked, starry-eyed. "Please tell me he's done!"

"He is," Marie confirmed. "He said he wants you to go to the next kettle as soon as possible."

"Will do!" Crouching in her squid form, she launched into the air, soaring to the next area. She did not dare to look down, as it was a long drop from the air, all the way to the bottom of the canyon. If she forced herself to stop super-jumping, she would be calamari for sure. When she transformed back, she was at the top of a tower, standing on the kettle she revealed beforehand. Without a second thought, she slipped into the entrance.

When she reemerged, she had to squint from the sudden bright light. Lamps shaped like stars dotted the sky, giving the sky a sort of orange hue. Directly in front of her was a slope covering in purple ink, turning into magenta ink by the time the slope reached flat land. She heard the whirling of a drone in the distance, so she looked up to see one carrying a black box. It dropped the box into Alexis's hands, and she opened it. Inside were a pair of familiar-looking guns. _Dualies!_

"OK, take this with you," Sheldon instructed. The short-haired inkling picked them up. "It'll help me gather some practical battle data." She nodded. "These are the hottest weapons in the game right now—the Hero Dualies! While shooting and moving in any direction, you can do a slick dodge roll. You can dodge-roll forward, backward, or side to side. It's totally raw!"

"I use dualies most of the time," Alexis pointed out. "But thanks for the reminder." She winked and began to shoot the crates.

"O-Oh…" Sheldon muttered. "In that case, you already know what to do!"

Once the crates were broken, she moved to the ride rail at the edge of the platform and shot it. A purple, metallic stream of ink shot out of the bulb. She jumped on it, travelling over the magenta ink below.

"You can still use your weapon when riding on top of a rail," Marie informed.

"Fresh." Aiming her dualies at some red balloons that appeared, she started shooting at them until they popped. When she got to the other side, she looked around for something of interest. To the left, she saw yet another ride rail, so she shot it to activate it. She jumped on that one next, disregarding the need to climb up the hill.

"You can also jump while you're riding a ride rail," the inkling over the radio then said. Noticing the rail climb upwards ever-so-slightly, she jumped like Marie advised, landing on the next one. "Don't forget to jump while you're riding rails." She jumped onto a checkpoint, only to see yet another rail appear directly in front of her. She got on that one, prompting the idol to say, "You should be able to grab the squid rings as you ride the rail too." Alexis passed through the floating ring surrounding the ride rail and jumped onto the next platform, where she activated yet another rail. Below the rail was an Octotrooper, which was splatted during her efforts to activate the ride rail.

When Agent 4 jumped onto the next rail, another squid ring appeared, this one floating above it instead of between it. "Time it right and jump through that ring!" Marie egged. In an instant, the bronze-skinned inkling jumped, but she just barely missed the ring. Neither inkling said anything regarding her failure to grab the squid ring, but Alexis went right ahead and splatted the Octotrooper on the next platform. She activated the next ride rail and continued. "Good stuff. Let's keep going."

The short-haired inkling got on yet another ride rail, one that was quite long. "You gotta be careful not to fall off when jumping on winding rails like this," the inkling over the radio advised. _I won't jump off,_ Alexis thought scornfully. _I'm not that dumb._ It led to another floating platform. The lowest area had a ride rail in between two crates. She shot down an Octocopter and jumped onto the tiled floor. She activated the rail and hopped on it, breaking the crates within the path of the rail. Alexis came face-to-face with an Octotrooper, but she quickly disposed of it. She activated the next rail and moved on.

At the next checkpoint, Agent 4 was presented with two ride rails. Shooting one, the other quickly activated. She smiled and hopped on the left one. "Jump to the other rail!" Marie egged. Seeing a squid ring, she did so. Another one, facing diagonally, appeared. Doing a flip, she hopped to the previous rail, just barely going through the next squid ring. She continued to jump back and forth until the end of the rail, where she hopped onto the grate. "OK, now you're just showing off," the idol muttered as she broke a small, orange box. A ticket popped out of the degree, and she happily took it and stuffed it into her pocket.

The next ride rail winded through a narrow space. Squid rings floated above the rail at some points. _I bet I can do these!_ the bronze-skinned inkling challenged herself, a cocky grin spreading across her face. She jumped through them. At a turn, an Octocopter flew past, shooting a glob of magenta ink at her. "Take this!" she exclaimed, jumping on the turn and splatting the Octarian. However, her boasts got the best of her as she fell to the ground, screaming as soon as she realized her mistake. When she respawned, Marie's only reaction was a single sigh of disappointment. Alexis rode the rail once again and hopped onto the next checkpoint.

Turning the bend, the older inkling shouted, "Octoslobs!" At the end of the walkway was an Octotrooper, minding its own business. "Fry 'em up, Agent 4!"

"Will do." Rolling towards the trooper, she focused her aim and took it out pretty quickly. She continued to run down the path until another ride rail crossed her path, this bulb facing sideways. She shot it and watched as the railing stretched out until the end of the platform. _A shortcut!_ Alexis climbed on to it and rode it down to the end of that walkway. She leaped through the ring and rolled onto a shorter ride rail. Hoping onto yet another walkway, she activated the ride rail that winded right above the path. She rode it, shooting the Octotroopers below as they attempted to hit her with the magenta ink. She landed on the end of the path and activated the next rail.

While she rode down the hill, Marie commented, "That looks like fun." She added quietly, "Sometimes I wish I was the one risking my life out there…" When Alexis arrived to the next ride rail and hopped on it, she said, louder, "Keep an eye out for new rails to jump to." The young inkling nodded and hopped through the squid ring onto the rail next to the one she activated. She broke the box in her path and jumped onto a third ride rail, where there were a bunch of squid rings. Though she missed the highest squid ring, she broke the orange box on the tall platform she landed on, where a white, shiny fish popped out.

"What's this?" Alexis asked, dangling it by the tail. She couldn't tell if it was a real fish or a fake one, but she was sure that it was not alive.

"That's a Sardinium!" Sheldon chirped. "It can be used to upgrade the fabulous weapons I give you. The energy contained in these are quite potent. When together, a few of these can enhance the stats of any weapon."

"Fresh," she muttered, putting it in her pocket. "Let's keep going."

She jumped down to the pad below, lighting up a purple color as soon as she put her feet on it. "The Zapfish must be close," the idol concluded. "Onward!" The next ride rail activated was one of the longest yet, winding around strange steel beams dotted with flashing lights. It ended at the base of a tower, leaving for a very high fall if she were to fall off. Octotroopers patrolled around pillars, looking for any squids to splat. "Baddies!" Marie exclaimed once she noticed them. "Steam these clams!"

Immediately, Alexis splatted the first Octotrooper that noticed her, though it managed to shoot out a bit of magenta ink. Sticking on to her clothes, she submerged into the purple ink to shake it off. She searched for someway to climb the pillars of varying heights, though she was slowed down by the incoming Octarians. She dodged their slow bullets and soon found a wooden platform with the bulb of a ride rail on top of it. She activated it and quickly climbed onto it before anymore of them could rush towards her.

"Going _up_!" Marie exclaimed as the rail winded around the pillars, alerting the Octotroopers stationed on top of them. She hid inside the railing in an attempt to dodge their ink, but soon enough, she found herself falling off of railing, right in front of an Octotrooper. It sprayed ink into her face, causing her to let out a cry of pain as it got into her eyes. Holding down on the trigger of the dualies, she shot it, with its defeat marked by a gargled cry. "A launchpad appeared," the inkling over the radio informed. "Though, you might want to just stand there until you can see again. I can't afford for you to just walk off and get splatted."

"Even better, I'll hide in the ink." Transforming into a squid, Alexis slipped into the purple ink below her feet. Magenta spots danced in her vision as the ink faded away. Though her eyes still ached, she could see enough to see the swirling ink at the center of the tallest pillar. She swam into it and launched into a ride rail above her. She rode on it, her smile growing as the zapfish came within view. When she came within range, she fired ink at the barrier surrounding it and made a dash to grab it. Putting the dualies in her belt, she snatched it from the pedestal and held it tightly, cheering as it squirmed in her arms. "I got it!"

"Then, away you go." Agent 4 proceeded to super-jump out of the base, adjusting her eyes to the light as it hit her skin.

With the zapfish still in her arms, she heard Sheldon say, "Let me check your weapon log… Yup! Data's coming through." While the bronze-skinned inkling smiled, he continued on to say, "Oh, man. This is really good stuff. The more data you get me, the quicker I can finalize my retail version, so keep it up! But remember—this is just a loaner. I'm not running a charity here! Good luck, Agent 4!"

Alexis jumped down to the boss kettle, where Marie was leaning against a vine-covered pillar outside of it. Setting her umbrella down, the pale-haired inkling took the zapfish from her.

"Great job, Agent 4," she complimented, smiling. "I'll send the zapfish back from here." The girl in the kimono turned around and started walking to the entrance of Suction Cup Lookout.

"Hey, Marie, before you leave…" Alexis spoke up, taking a few steps towards her. "Can you tell me about this Agent 3 gal?"

"Agent 3?" The idol turned to face the agent again. "Well, she saved the Great Zapfish the first time it went missing. The Cap'n recruited her. Obviously, Callie and I couldn't save it because we were hosting Inkopolis News at the time. However, when the Cap'n got kidnapped by DJ Octavio, we came to her aid. During the final battle, we were able to free him and save the Great Zapfish! We couldn't have done it without Agent 3."

"So basically… Agent 3 is the best?"

"I guess you could put it that way. But don't worry, you're also pretty great… and you have better hygiene."

"What does Agent 3's hygiene have to do with anything?"

Marie shrugged. "It doesn't."

"A different subject now—how close is Sheldon to finishing the next weapon?"

"Last time I checked, he's almost done. So…come back tomorrow?"

"Alright. Can't wait."

And thus, Agent 4's adventures came to an end… for now


	12. Teacher's Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie's old chemistry teacher summons her to help teach his new class.

_Bonnie's PoV_

"Alright, squids, I have two very important announcements," Roy announced, slamming his fist down on the lunch table. "One, my birthday's on Tuesday, and I expect a nice party for my 17th birthday."

"We know," Bonnie mumbled. "You've been telling us that since the beginning of week."

"Let me finish," the red-haired inkling snapped. "The second thing is, I got the job!"

"At Starfish Drinks?!" Yuri gasped.

"Yeah, that's the one," Roy confirmed.

"Congrats!" everyone at the table then exclaimed.

"Thank you, thank you." He stood up and did a little bow before sitting back down. "My first day's on Monday after school," the inkling then explained. "Monday, Wednesday, Friday. That's my schedule."

"Pretty convenient you don't have a shift on your birthday," Perry commented. All he did in response was give a small smile.

In the corner of her eye, Bonnie noticed a teacher lurking near them. She knew this teacher—it was her chemistry teacher last year. Mr. Nema was a rather carefree sea slug, preferring to lay out in the sun doing nothing in his free time. Despite this, he is rather skilled in the chemistry department, always willing to help students when they need it. The beige-skinned inkling in particular was one of his favorites.

"Ah, Miss Bonnie Largha!" he suddenly greeted, slithering over to behind her seat. "Nice to see you."

The blue-haired girl could only muster a half-smile. "Nice to see you, too."

"Well, I'm glad I found you, because I need your help," Mr. Nema explained.

" _My_ help?" she breathed, surprised by his offer.

"Yes! You were one of my star students last year, after all."

"Well, what do you need?"

"The kids in my eighth period are complete fools! It's only been a week, and they've already broken two glass vials. Just in that class! One group decided to stick their hands while their burner was running, and they had to be treated for their burns."

"Yikes…" Inigo muttered.

"Anyways, I would like an extra hand today to whip them into shape." The slug extended a long-fingered hand to Bonnie. "So, what do you say? Wanna help?"

"Hmm… Sure." She smiled. "Why not."

"Great!" Mr. Nema started to crawl past her. "See you soon!"

The inkling said nothing more, but she did garner some stares from her friends.

"…Can't say I'm really surprised." Via was the first to speak, the orange-haired girl scratching the back of her head. "Mr. Nema's a smart slug, and you're a smart squid."

"I dunno, helping teachers is kinda lame," Perry added. Bonnie frowned upon hearing this statement. She always hated feeling like an outcast. Realizing this, his purple eyes then locked with his glasses-wearing friend, and he shrugged and said, "But I guess it works for you."

Everyone else gave their nods of approval. "Thanks, squids," she muttered, and the Rainbow Squids continued to eat their lunch quietly.

When the bell for eighth period rang, Bonnie immediately sprung from her seat in her math class and quickly walked to her old chemistry classroom. Mr. Nema greeted her and let her sit in one of the stools he had. She sat there awkwardly as the students poured into the class. Roughly half of the class were inklings like herself, while the rest were a variety of sea creatures.

"Hello, class!" the sea slug greeted. No one said anything in response. "…Today, I have invited a former student of mine to help you all out in the lab today."

"Hi," Bonnie greeted. "My name's Bonnie." Again, no one said a single word. They all simply stared at her. She frowned. _Class was more fun last year._

"Today…" Mr. Nema put one of his long fingers on the chalkboard behind him. "We will be heating up a piece of metal. I want you to follow the procedure and record your observations. I'll explain what exactly happened afterwards. Get to it, and no seahorseplay!"

The class was slow to rise to their feet, and she watched as everyone travelled to their lab tables. The class was quite big, with enough people to fill up all of the tables. Bonnie hopped off her stool and put on an apron and goggles. She walked to the first table. On one side of the table was a pair of female inklings with the same double bun as her. The other pair consisted of a jellyfish and a fairy shrimp.

"Jelbert doesn't speak Inkling," the fairy shrimp pointed out. Judging by the voice, he was a boy. "So, I'll translate anything he says."

Jelbert turned to face Bonnie, who stared at her with small, yet beady eyes. "…Okay." She cleared her throat and then asked, "You guys need help?"

"I got this," one of the inklings snapped, getting out a burner. The brown-skinned inkling plugged it in and turned it on, then grabbing the lighter. Within an instant, a blue light shot out of the top of it. The other inkling prepared to strike her mocha-colored hand through the flame, but Bonnie grabbed it before she could do so.

"Don't do that!" the beige-skinned inkling scolded. "Do you want to get burned?"

"I've done it before, and I didn't," the mocha-skinned inkling argued. "I'm not as slow as the lovebirds over there." She pointed to two other inklings, who were hitting on each other instead of doing their work. "Camille tried to grab something that fell into the flame, and now she's in bandages."

"Her boyfriend's just stupid," added the girl who lit the burner. "He cranked the burner up on full blast and put his hand right over it."

"Still. You could get burned," Bonnie pointed out. "And that's not good."

"I did it!" the fairy shrimp then cried out. "I lit the burner!" In his feathery arms, he swung a lighter almost as big as him around. Jelbert lightly patted him on the back, and he made some small noises in response. He dropped it, too. All the blue-haired inkling could do was nod.

"Well, this is lit," the brown-skinned inkling concluded. "Time to drop the metal into this." In her hands was a crucible and what appeared to be some sort of copper. It fell into the small bucket with a clink, and then she set it over the burner. "There."

Bonnie let go of her partner's hand. "If you guys need any help, call me over."

"I'm certain I won't need it," the mocha-skinned girl growled.

The beige-skinned inkling walked to the next table. At this table, there was a pair between an inkling with a buzz cut and a lobster. The other pair was a crab with bandaged claws and a sea urchin.

"What happened to you?" she asked the crab.

"Fire happened," the sea urchin answered. "Rob thought it was a good idea to hold the crucible in place, so I turned up the heat."

 _Mr. Nema was right, these people really are idiots_ , Bonnie thought, letting out a sigh. "Why did you do that in the first place?" she asked him.

"To make a statement," he replied, holding up an index finger.

She said nothing more on the matter, now asking, "Do any of you need any help?"

"Nah, we've got it going," answered the inkling with the buzz cut. The lighter poked out of his fist, and he gave a confident smile as he stared at the blue flame. The lobster, on the other hand, was holding the burner. This caught her eye.

"You're not suppose to hold it!" Bonnie hissed at him. "You could get burned!"

"What if it falls over?" the lobster asked.

"It's on a flat surface. It won't fall over unless you try to."

"Hey, accidents happen."

"…Just stay away from the burner. Only touch it when you have to adjust it."

The lobster put a claw behind his red, shiny head. "Fine..."

"And what about you two?" Bonnie then asked the sea urchin and the crab.

"I'm certain we don't need help," the urchin snapped. "We're going to get it running sooner or later."

"Okay, okay." The blue-haired inkling threw her hands up. _I was just making sure._ She awkwardly stepped past the table, soon arriving at the third one. All the students at this table were female inklings. One pair consisted of a long-haired inkling with olive skin and green eyes, while the other was a short-haired inkling with pale skin and orange eyes. The other pair consisted of yet another long-haired inkling, this one with golden skin and blue eyes, and the other girl had pigtails, bronze skin, and pink eyes.

"Do you use a Classic Squiffer?" the girl with the pigtails asked.

"…Yes, why?" _Have I fought her before in turf war?_

"I think my friend fought against you in the last Splatfest," she replied. "I remember that she mentioned that she fought against someone named Bonnie."

"Fresh, but that's not what I'm here for. I'm here to help you all with chemistry stuff."

"We got this! Don't worry!" the inkling with golden skin assured. She stood on the tips of her toes for a few moments, looking inside the crucible. "It doesn't look any different."

"You have to be patient," Bonnie stated. "It takes a while for some things to heat up."

"But I don't wanna be patient…" the girl whined. "I just wanna get this over with."

"Too bad." Her blue eyes glanced over at the other pair at the third table. "What about you?"

"It's going," the girl with the pale skin stated.

"Oh, have I told you about how hot the squids on the baskfishball team are?" the inkling with olive skin suddenly chirped, leaning over to her partner. Bonnie sighed, digging her face into her hand. The blue-haired inkling then decided to go to the fourth table, where Mr. Nema was. He was examining a malfunctioning burner. When he noticed the former student with navy eyes, he waved.

"Hello, Bonnie!" he greeted. "How are my students?"

"They keep telling me they're fine." She looked over her shoulder at the first three tables. Jelbert was holding the fairy shrimp by his tail, and now he flailed his arms over the crucible. The two dark-skinned girls were on their phones, not paying attention to the burner. The sea urchin had even worse behavior—he was sitting on the table, right next to the burner. The crab simply frowned at him, weakly clenching his claws. The inkling with the buzz cut and the lobster were actually doing their work, removing the crucible from the heat, as well as the pair between the long-haired inkling and the short-haired inkling. The final pair continued to gossip about the baskfishball team. "But I don't think they are."

"Not surprised, but they seem to be better than a few days ago," the sea slug commented. He sighed as he picked up the faulty burner and started to slither to the closet. "You should check up on them, though."

"Will do." Bonnie saluted and walked back over to the first table. She grabbed a ruler and started to tap it on the table. The four students now looked over at her. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice low.

"I'm trying to grab the thing," the fairy shrimp started, "but Jelbert won't let me!"

She stepped next to the jellyfish, causing him to inch closer to the wall. Her hand hovered around the metal bucket momentarily, checking to see if it was cool. Once it was cleared, she grabbed it and set it down on the base of the stand. Jelbert dropped the fairy shrimp, causing him to fall onto the table. He whimpered as soon as he made contact, and then he crawled over to the crucible, jumping onto the base.

"Thanks," the shrimp thanked.

"No problem." She walked over to the other side of the table and squeezed between the two girls in order to turn the burner off. She smiled, saying, "You must have forgot about this."

The mocha-skinned inkling looked over at her and growled, "Hey, you didn't need to do that."

"Yeah, we were gonna get to it eventually," the brown-skinned inkling added.

"You must pay attention to the clock, though," the beige-skinned inkling advised. "Spend too much time, and you'll be stuck here after school."

The brown-skinned inkling started to gape upon hearing this. "Seriously?! I have cheer practice every day!" She then grumbled, "I can't afford to be late," and slouched onto the table.

"Then it's best you get to work." Blue eyes fell onto the steaming crucible. "Though, you can't do much at the moment. All you can do is wait."

"Ugh…" The mocha-skinned inkling's eyes returned to her phone.

"And you," Bonnie asserted, swinging around the second table to face the sea urchin, "need to get off of there."

"No." The sea urchin crossed his arms and looked down at the inkling with his singular green eye.

"I tried to tell him to get off," Rob, the crab, commented. "But my claws still hurt from the burn." He snapped them a few times before adding, "So I can't pull him off."

"Wait, _pull_ him off?" the inkling repeated. "Won't that hurt him?"

"Eh, I'm used to it," the sea urchin said.

"You should still get off the table," the blue-haired inkling pointed out.

"Make me."

She grabbed the urchin by the waist and heaved him off the table. She set him down on the floor and grunted once the strain on her muscles was gone. "There. I made you."

"I can just get back on."

"I'll tell the teacher if you do."

"I'm not scared of him." He hopped back on the table, and everything on it shook a little bit.

The lobster grabbed the crucible, which almost fell over from the earthquake. "Woah, watch it!"

Bonnie sighed and walked over to the back door. "Mr. Nema?" she called, knocking it. "We have some bad students here."

"We do?" The sea slug pushed the door open, the new burner in his hands. "Where?" She pointed to the sea urchin, who was flipping off the teacher. "Mr. Sean Echino! How dare you!" He looked back at the inkling. "Grab my phone, please." Bonnie ran over to his desk, grabbed his phone, and then ran back to him and gave him the school phone. After a few brief moments, he said, "Hello. I'd like to report Sean Echino for inappropriate behavior…Okay, thank you." He put down the phone and demanded, "Go to the office, Echino."

"Fine." Sean jumped off the table and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"…That was anti-climactic," commented a student the blue-haired inkling had not met with. The other students in the class murmured in agreement.

"Well, that's all dealt with," Mr. Nema concluded. "Now, other than Matt and Trevor, is there anyone else not done?" A few people raised their hands. "Well, since most of you are done, I'll explain what happened anyways. Anyone who is done, go back to your seats."

Bonnie walked over to Rob and took the crucible off of its stand. "It's cool now," she said. "You can go back to your seat if you want."

"Thank you!" exclaimed the crab. He ran back to the main area of the classroom.

The beige-skinned inkling examined the lab area. Everyone left was doing what they were supposed to be doing, and a small smile appeared on her face. Though they may be bad students, perhaps her presence put them on their best behavior after all. She continued to stride around the tables, keeping an eye on everyone.

After the bell rang and class was over, Mr. Nema asked, "Miss Bonnie, could you stay for just a few extra moments?"

"Sure." The inkling already had her backpack on, and she adjusted her glasses as she focused on the sea slug. She sat on the stool from earlier, the smile still on her face. "What do you need?"

"I just want to thank you," the teacher started. "Even though it's only been a week since school started, everyone was on their best behavior today. Except Sean, as you saw earlier, but the horseplay has gone down from earlier this week. And it's all thanks to you."

Bonnie felt the heat of embarrassment creep up her face, but she tried to ignore it as she responded, "How do you know they won't return to their normal antics tomorrow?"

"Instinct, little scholar. Instinct."

She giggled and got off the stool. "Well, I should be going."

"Farewell, Bonnie!" Mr. Nema started waving as she stepped closer and closer towards the door. "May you have a successful future!"


	13. Flowers for Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inigo visits Geneva's brother, Asher.

_Inigo's PoV_

The inkling with the ponytail put the wheel of the Carbon Roller to the ground, shaking his head. On the screen in front of him was the horribly unbalanced map of his latest match. Two of the inklings on Inigo's team had disappeared suddenly, leaving him and an inkling with a side cut named Roman alone against four enemy inklings. The map was covered in orange, with only a small portion of deep blue on his side of the map.

"If only those two squids weren't cowards," Roman muttered under his breath, sweat pooling from his pale face. Like Inigo, he used a roller, but his was the Flingza Roller. "We could have won if they were there."

"Well…" The indigo-eyed inkling lifted his head. "It's having fun that counts." He gave a smile, though his teammate was not impressed.

"I'm leaving." The pale-skinned inkling walked out of the room they were in, dragging his roller right behind him. Inigo figured he should do the same, thus following him into the lobby. Soon, he lost him amongst the crowd, but the fair-skinned inkling had other plans in mind. He stored his Carbon Roller back in the room the Rainbow Squids rented out and left the Deca Tower.

 _Where now?_ he asked himself, taking out the band holding his hair in place. Two medium-length tentacles fell over his shoulders, and he put the hair band on his wrist. He didn't plan to do anything else today. He had done turf wars and ranked battles since this morning, and even that became boring after a little while. He soon found his feet walking towards the direction of his house. _Home, I guess_.

He continued walking, and walking, and walking, until he stopped. He lifted his head to see an apartment complex, not his own townhouse. However, this building was the one Geneva resided in ever since she moved to Inkopolis. Remembering this sent a pang of sadness throughout Inigo's body. She left the Rainbow Squids for a vacation over a month ago. Yet, it has felt like an eternity.

The inkling picked a flower from the garden sitting outside the complex. The daffodil was a nice yellow color, the petals of it fanning out to highlight the bell-like center. His indigo eyes fell onto the entrance, as if it were compelling him to come inside. He acted on this instinct and slipped into the building. The receptionist stared at him with bored eyes as he walked to the elevators. Inigo pressed a button, and quickly did the doors slide open. He went inside, and as soon as they closed, he took the moment of isolation to change his ink back to his usual indigo color.

When he stepped into the hallway, he started walking towards the direction of Geneva's apartment. The beige walls and the dark doors made everything feel like an old photograph to him… except he was a burst of color in the sepia. He continued walking until he got to her apartment. He slid the daffodil into the mail slot and turned around to leave when he heard the door open behind him.

In the doorway stood an inkling of Yuri's height with leafy-green hair tied into a ponytail and eyes the same green color. He wore only a white robe lined with yellow, and in between his fair fingers were some letters and the daffodil. _Asher_.

"Inigo Sable?" the man marveled. "I haven't seen you in quite a while."

"Same," the other inkling echoed. "Though, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you went on vacation with Geneva."

Asher shook his head. "Her mentor—y'know, for her electrician job—only gave her the one ticket. I think it was just the two of them that went on the vacation."

"Really?" _I thought it was a family vacation._

The older inkling nodded. "It's kinda weird, because she barely told me anything about it. Has she told you anything?" Inigo shook his head in response. "Cod, this just makes it even weirder," he muttered. He turned around and started to head deeper into the apartment. "You can come stay with me for a little bit, if you don't mind," Asher offered, looking over his shoulder at the indigo-haired inkling.

"Sure." He stepped into the apartment and slipped off his silver shoes. "I don't have any other plans, anyways."

Asher slumped onto the couch and pulled up a coffee table, resting his feet on it. "Come join me," he said, patting the cushion next to him.

"Okay." The couch the two now sat on was light grey and was pushed up against the wall. A television was sitting on a table up against the opposite wall, and on it was a soap opera. "Didn't know you watched these," Inigo commented, pointing to the screen.

"There's so much drama!" the green-haired inkling enthused. "You see, earlier in the episode, Monica caught her boyfriend cheating on her. And now, she's utterly betrayed." The TV displayed a female inkling screaming at a male one. "Oh! I think she's breaking up with him now!" he exclaimed, now sitting up straight.

"Can't I change the channel?"

"Not now! This is the most exciting part!"

The fair-skinned inkling sighed and leaned back into the soft back of the couch. This was going to be a long day, for sure.

Once the credits started to roll on the screen, Inigo felt a remote fall into his lap. He looked up at Asher, who was giving a gentle smile. _Finally_. He sat up and started surfing through the channels on the TV. He stopped at a channel displaying a turf war tournament.

"So… what brings you here?" the older inkling asked, the daffodil still resting in his hand.

"I don't know, to be honest," the younger inkling admitted. "I was just walking, when I found myself outside the complex. Then I saw that flower you're holding. So, I picked it and brought it here." He frowned. "I know your sister isn't here right now, but… I just keep thinking about her. More so than any of my other friends."

"I think we're all thinking about her," Asher remarked. "I don't know about you, but I'm worried. Worried that she might get hurt."

"Do you know when she'll get back?" Inigo asked. The green-haired inkling shook his head. "I hate how she's being so vague with all of this." _You're her brother; I'm her ex-boyfriend; we should be the people that she trusts most in all of Inkopolis,_ he added silently.

"Me too," the other inkling agreed. "She usually isn't this secretive."

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Inigo started to mess around with it. He found himself scrolling through his contacts and stopped over Geneva's name. His shaky thumb hovered over the text displaying it. One touch and a variety of options would pop it. He bit his tongue, trying to distract himself from the memories of their break-up. With a gentle touch, he pressed Geneva's name, and three main options came up—call, text, and video chat. He glanced next to him to see Asher, leaning in to see what he was doing.

"I've tried calling her, texting her…" he commented, "but she never answers."

"She might answer me," Inigo argued.

The green-haired inkling shook his head. "If she won't answer me, then I doubt she'll answer you."

"At least let me try."

"Oh, alright. Go for video chat."

Inigo pressed the video chat button, and the screen went black, save for a recording of him on the corner of the screen. The phone started to ring. It continued to ring, yet still, no one picked up. After a minute, the screen returned to the contacts. The indigo-haired inkling cursed and threw his phone onto the coffee table. _Why won't she answer?_

"Told ya," Asher said.

Inigo did not answer, picking up his phone and stuffing it back into his pocket. He started twirling one of his loose tentacles around his fingers, staring down at the floor. Even with the exciting battle going on in the background, he was not too interested in it. He could not understand Geneva's silence.

"…Thanks for letting me stay," he muttered, getting up for the couch and adverting the green-haired inkling's gaze. He started walking towards the door.

"…You want tea?" the older inkling asked. "Or coffee?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Inigo slipped his shoes back on.

"…Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye." Asher walked over to the entrance, still holding the daffodil meant for Geneva. "I'll give this flower to her when she gets back…if it hasn't wilted away by then."

The indigo-haired inkling leaned against the wall, still frowning. "Bye." Without saying another word, Inigo left the apartment and started his descent down the building. A short time later, he emerged from it and started running down the street. His destination was now his home, where he could rest. His parents were still working, he believed, so he could rest in peace. There, he could think.

It felt as if not much time has passed at all when he arrived. He got out the key to the townhouse and opened the door, rushing inside to slam it shut. He ran upstairs to his room, where he launched himself onto the bed. He dug his face into the pillow, letting out a muffled groan. He lifted his head and saw a photo he had framed, sitting on his nightstand. He grabbed it and looked at it. It was a picture of himself and Geneva at Wahoo World last year. They both had huge smiles on their faces, and they were decorated with the various merchandise available at the amusement park. Cotton candy, one blue and one pink, could be found in their free hands.

What happy times they were.

His hands started to shake again, and his face fell into the pillow. He felt something wet fall down his face, so he lifted his head a little bit and wiped his eyes. _Tears_. At least no one was here to see him cry. What would they think of him then? The level-headed Inigo, crying over something so trivial? It was something hard to fathom. The memories of his breakup with Geneva then started to flood into his mind.

* * *

_"Inigo," said a familiar voice. They were in the middle of Inkopolis Plaza, walking towards Inkopolis Tower. Even when activity in the area was dying, inklings still visited from time to time. At that moment, the boy turned around to see green eyes staring into his indigo ones. "Can I talk to you?"_

_"What about?" he asked._

_Geneva's eyes started to advert his gaze. "…Something important."_

Being vague again, huh? _Inigo thought. He always teased her on how she always played hard-to-get. She acted like she hated it, but it her true thoughts were obvious through the blush that would spread across her cheeks. "Alright."_

_The two inklings walked down to an abandoned alleyway littered with super sea snail shells. Spike had moved out of here not too long ago, and without his presence, it has felt odd being here ever since. Luckily, no one comes here anymore, except for the occasional oblivious guy. Inigo leaned against the wall, putting a hand on the cement. His eyes peaked with curiosity on what they were going to talk about._

_"Okay, now to what I want to talk about," the green-haired girl started. "Look, I've been thinking long and hard about this, so please, don't take this personally."_

_"Thinking about what?"_

_"Well… things haven't been going so great lately," Geneva admitted. "When's the last time we laughed together? When's the last time we had quality time together?"_

_She had valid points. The last time they really enjoyed themselves was months ago, though it didn't feel like very long. It had been a terribly long time since he'd last heard her laugh, despite all his efforts. Her job had become increasingly demanding, to the point where even he did not see her all that often anymore. "What are you getting at?"_

_The shorter inkling gulped and confessed, "I-I'm breaking up with you."_

_Only five words had been said, yet it felt like the world was about to crash and burn. "Breaking up with me?!" he immediately blurted out. He could not believe it. "We could work on it! Things can get better!" He couldn't lose her! He thought everything was going perfectly!_

_"It's not you, Inigo, it's me," stated Geneva. "I fell in love with you, but I've fallen out of it now." She frowned. "I don't think things can get better. It never will." The inkling wearing a beanie lowered her head, a shadow falling over her eyes. "You aren't meant to be with me." She turned around and started to walk out of the alley._

_"W-We can still be friends," he cried, voice cracking. "R-Right?" Tears started to fall down his face._ Stop crying, _he told himself, to no avail._

_"Of course." She turned around, giving a half-hearted smile. "You'll always be my friend. But friends are as far as we will ever get."_

_Now, Geneva truly left the alleyway, leaving Inigo alone. The fair-skinned inkling fell to his knees, covering his face. No one could see him cry now, no one could hear him sob now. He truly was heartbroken. The love of his life was gone, and now he only had one question:_

_Why?_

* * *

The pillow was now drenched in all the tears Inigo had cried until he ran dry of them. He sat up and saw the picture taken at Wahoo World. It had fallen over from the shifting weight, and now he picked it up again. Though his eyes stung, he could still make out the smiles on their faces. Now, this picture had been on his nightstand for too long. He opened his closet and pulled a cardboard box out of it. Inside were other photos of him, including baby pictures and pictures of his costumes from past Halloweens. He dug through them until he got to the very bottom, where he stuffed the one he was holding inside. Quickly, he closed it and pushed it back into the closet before slamming it shut.

He leaned against the closet door and pulled out his phone. A text from Yuri popped up on the screen, asking if he wanted to do a few Splat Zones matches today. He replied no and put it away. He was in no state to do anything else today. Not after the disaster at Geneva's apartment.

Inigo soon walked downstairs and started to make some tea. Once he finished, he held a cup of it in his hands, and then he heard the door unlock. Turning to face it, he saw his mother enter the room.

"Inigo?" she marveled.

He managed to muster a smile. "Hey, Mom."

"It's nice to see you, but I thought you'd be out doing turf wars."

"I was, but I'm just not in the mood today."

"Is something wrong?"

Inigo shook his head. "No, everything's fine." Except it wasn't.


	14. Party Planners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rainbow Squids plan a birthday party for Roy.

_Perry's PoV_

On this day, September 12th, it was Roy's birthday. He made sure everyone heard about it, wearing a shirt that read 'It's my birthday!' to school today. Per Perry's suggestion, he even started to put up posters declaring the special occasion. All they garnered were a few odd looks, deflating his ego. However, after school, the rest of the Rainbow Squids had something else in mind.

"I'm surprised at how much money you managed to pull together to rent out the baskfishball stadium," Bon-Bon commented, looking at a receipt the purple-haired inkling had given her. Roy himself was at baskfishball practice, though the others were at their usual place in Inkopolis Square.

"I got Marie to come, too," Perry added. "Took a lot of money and bribing, but I managed it."

"That's amazing!" Yuri marveled.

"Doesn't he like Callie better, though?" Inigo pointed out.

"Callie's missing, remember?" Alexis rebutted. "She can't come. At all."

"We know," the blue-haired inkling snapped. The young inkling opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out of her mouth. She sighed and leaned back in the chair. "But, I think we should all be heading over to the stadium now."

"Yeah, Marie could already be there!" Yuri agreed.

"Then, let's go," Octavia said, getting off of her chair. "And either way, we still need to make sure all the decorations are there before Roy comes. It would be a lackluster party otherwise!"

The rest of the inklings agreed and soon followed suit, and they began to walk to the stadium. It was not too terribly long of a walk there, and soon, they were at Goby Arena.

"Perry… this is a bask _et_ ball stadium, not a bask _fish_ ball one," Bonnie pointed out once they got there.

"Hey, it's also used for baskfishball," Perry argued. "Besides, they're almost the same sport, except one uses hoops and the other uses volunteer basking sharks."

"Let's just get inside," Inigo said.

Goby Arena wasn't too terribly big of a stadium, with the actual court being rather small. However, it had a huge amount of seats, complete with two entrances to accommodate for all the people that can fit in it. The jumbotron overhead was turned off, showing nothing on the black screens. Sponsors were all over the place, which made sense given the popularity of it. It really is fresh!

Perry had also made sure to rent out the VIP section of the seats to ensure the best view of Marie. Nearby were two white tables he had brought the day before, and of course, they were left untouched. In the central court, a few workers were setting up a stage for the idol, complete with a poster featuring her face. Suddenly, the jumbotron flickered to life, displaying flashing colors before settling on the court.

"Hey, she's not here yet," Alexis commented.

"And we still need decorations!" Via added. "There should be lights everywhere—preferably red ones. Oh, and we should get those cutouts depicting the basking sharks and the balls and hang them up everywhere. And red balloons! They'd match Roy perfectly!"

"What about a disco ball?" Bonnie suggested. "We could hang it up somewhere."

"We already have the jumbotron," Inigo pointed out. "And, since we're all sitting in one place, only one side of it should be showing Marie."

"…And the other sides could be red and flashy!" the orange-haired inkling exclaimed. "Great idea!"

"We'd still need other decorations, though," the blue-haired inkling then pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Octavia said. "There should be a party store near here, so who wants to go with me?"

"I'll go," the indigo-haired inkling replied.

"Me too," replied Bon-Bon.

"Any of you three going?" she then asked the others.

"I kinda have to stay here," Perry responded. "Greetin' Marie, stuff like that. I am the squid to fund this whole thing."

"I'm not going," Yuri replied. "Stores are kinda boring."

"I just don't wanna go," Alexis said.

"Do ya have money?" the purple-haired inkling asked the group.

"Yeah." The orange-haired inkling got out her wallet and pulled out 2,500G. "This should be enough, right?"

"I dunno, that isn't a lot of money," Perry pointed out.

"Party decorations aren't that expensive," Inigo argued. "We'll be fine."

"Oh, alright. But don't say I didn't warn ya if ya run out of money."

"Alright, then we'll be on our way," Octavia announced. She, Inigo, and Bonnie began to walk out of the stadium, with Via shouting, "We'll be back in a bit!"

"See you soon!" the dark-skinned inkling called as they left. Once they were gone, he turned to face Perry and Alexis and asked, "So, what now? We get a cake?"

"Cake!" the pale-skinned inkling cried. "I forgot about that!"

"I can go buy a cake," Alexis offered.

"OK." Perry got out his wallet and pulled out 10,000G. "This should be enough for a nice one," he explained as he gave it to the young inkling. "Roy's favorite is red velvet, so try to get one in that flavor if you can."

"…And if the bakery doesn't have any?" Alexis asked.

"Chocolate is the way to go!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Alright." The bronze-skinned inkling put the cash in her pocket and gave a thumbs-up. "I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, she left the stadium, leaving only Perry and Yuri alone.

The purple-haired inkling sighed and plopped down onto the chair next to where Roy would be sitting. _What now?_ All they could do now was wait for someone to come. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to scroll through Squidsagram. Of course, Roy had made several posts announcing his birthday. The most recent one was with his fellow baskfishball players. Perry smiled. _At least he got his wish._

After several minutes passed, he heard footsteps coming closer and closer to him. Soon, a shadow lingered over him, and he looked up to see a fair-skinned inkling with pale grey hair and starry yellow eyes. She was wearing a black-and-green dress. On the other side of him was Yuri, with his headphones resting around his neck. He gave a wink, and Perry's purple eyes then drifted over to Marie.

"You're Perry Sculpin, right?" the idol asked.

Perry put his phone back into his pocket and rose to his feet. "Right," he confirmed and extended a hand. "Nice to see you."

"And, nice to meet you." The two inklings shook heads, and Marie dipped her head. "I should be warming up, now," she said. "I'll be seeing you later." Before leaving, the grey-haired inkling did her signature pose—waving her hands around while standing on one leg. "And stay fresh!"

Even later, another voice spoke up. "Hey, guys." Perry and Yuri, who were just on their phones, looked up to see Alexis holding a big, circular cake with white frosting. It was decorated with red four-pointed stars, and on the top of it were lettering that read, 'Happy Birthday Roy!'. "Where should I put this?" the bronze-skinned inkling asked.

"The table," Yuri replied.

"Where's the box?" Perry suddenly asked.

"On the table," Alexis responded. "So, should I put it on the other table, or the one the box is on?"

"It doesn't matter. We got a cake, that's all that matters."

"OK." The pale-skinned inkling watched as the young inkling set down the cake on the open table. She then took a box of red candles out of the cake box and asked, "What about these?"

"Don't put 'em in now. Gotta let Roy look at that cake in all its glory."

"OK." Alexis put the box of candles down on the table before walking over to the seats the Rainbow Squids were designated to sit in. She sat behind Perry and leaned back in her seat, hopping onto her phone like the older inklings were doing.

More time passed, and Octavia announced, "We're back!" All three squids turned around to look at the group of newcomers. Of course, Via was holding the most bags, and they were filled with party decorations. "It ended up being more money than I thought," the wavy-haired inkling admitted. "So, everyone pitched in to pay for it."

 _I told ya!_ Perry boasted silently, a smirk coming across his face. "We got everything, so let's start hangin' them."

"Yeah. Roy should be done with baskfishball practice soon," Inigo agreed.

"Has Marie come yet?" Bonnie asked.

"She's here," Yuri replied. "She said she was gonna warm up, though."

"The main attraction is here. Good," mused Octavia. "Now, let's get this party ready!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed everyone else.

The Rainbow Squids took the time to hang up decorations all across Goby Arena. Each of them split up, taking at least one decoration to themselves. Of course, when one of them finished early, they came to someone else's aid, or when one of them needed help, someone else came to their aid. In the end, the arena matched Octavia's vision rather well. Cutouts of balls and basking sharks were strung up around the walls of the stadium, and they even lined the tables, which were now covered in a red, plastic tablecloth depicting white cartoon squids. Balloons colored red, black, and white floated around the stadium, with many hung down by weights covered in red tinfoil. All sides of the jumbotron except the front began to flash a variety of colors, illuminating the darkened stadium in a rainbow.

"Looks fresh," Yuri commented once they were all done. He turned to face the wavy-haired inkling and said, "I knew we could count on ya," giving a fist bump to her in the process.

"What about me?" Perry grumbled. "I'm the one who rented out the stadium in the first place. _And_ got Marie to come."

"Don't worry." The dark-skinned inkling winked. "You did great, too."

"Look!" Bonnie gasped. "Marie's coming out!"

Indeed, the idol did. Marie strutted onto the stage, waving to the Rainbow Squids. She took the microphone and commented, "Well, this audience is much smaller than normal." She gave an awkward smile. "But, I still have to give you a show."

"Are you gonna wait until Roy's here?" Inigo shouted after she finished.

"Well, I _could_ , but wouldn't it be more exciting if he came while I was singing?" Marie argued.

The indigo-haired inkling paused for a moment, and then nodded. "…I guess you have a point."

"We don't know when he's coming, though," Via then pointed out.

"Roy texted me," Inigo added. He pulled up his phone screen, showing the exchange between the two friends. "He said he's on his way."

"Oh." The orange-haired inkling returned her attention to the idol. "Start singing, then."

"Alright. Now, this one's my most popular solo—Tide Goes Out."

Marie began singing, and Perry relaxed in his seat. Everything was going smoothly. Now, the only question was if Roy will like it.


	15. Singing Birthday Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy arrives at his birthday party.

_Roy's PoV_

Roy pulled up to the curb and stepped out of his car. He looked up at the stadium he arrived at. Goby Arena? Why would they be here? He supposed the only way to find out was to go in. As he got deeper inside, the stadium got darker, and he noticed some cutouts of basking sharks and balls on the walls. _A party!_ Finally! People barely acknowledged it all day, but he knew his friends wouldn't let him down.

He noticed something else, though. Or rather, heard. A feminine voice was singing deep inside the arena, probably at the centermost court, if he had to guess. The song she was singing sounded very familiar. _No… could it be?_

Rainbow spots danced across the empty seats, and there were red, black, and white balloons all over the place—his favorite colors. However, it wasn't these that garnered the most of his attention. That award belonged to the jumbotron, where a fair-skinned inkling wearing a black-and-green dress danced. He knew this inkling—he had seen her on the giant screen back in Inkopolis Plaza many, many times.

"Marie?! Of the Squid Sisters?!" he exclaimed, shocked at her appearance at the arena. His red eyes searched the crowd, just to find the Rainbow Squids seated in the frontmost row on this side of the stadium. Near them were two tables, one of them having a cake with white frosting on the top of it. His friends had turned around to look at him upon his exclamation. Perry was smiling as he patted the empty seat next to him. Roy joined his friends and watched as Marie finished his song.

Once she was done singing, all of his friends exclaimed, "Happy birthday Roy!"

"Yes, happy birthday, Roy!" Marie added after they were done.

The entire time, the red-haired inkling had a huge smile plastered on his face. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. "Thank you, thank you!" He gave a playful punch to the shoulder of each of the boys and shook the hands of the girls excitedly. "I love it!"

"Glad you do," Perry said after Roy gave his thanks. "It cost a fortune to get both the stadium and Marie, and that's coming out of my mouth."

"I don't care! This is even better than I expected!" the tan-skinned inkling beamed. A few tears formed at the corners of his eyes thanks to the overwhelming happiness consuming him. "When you all told me to come to the stadium, I knew something was up, but not something on this scale."

"You did say you wanted a party," Bon-Bon mused.

"So, we gave you the best party for our favorite baskfishball player," Yuri continued.

"But, really, thank you!" Roy concluded.

"No prob," the pale-skinned boy said, giving a thumbs-up. "Now, let's eat."

"Cake?" the red-eyed inkling guessed.

Perry nodded. "Cake."

"I'll eat some cake, too," Marie added.

Roy smiled. _I still can't believe this is happening…_ Everyone gathered around the tables the cake rested on and sang happy birthday to him. After he blew out the colorful candles, Inigo unsheathed the knife next to it and started to cut it. He distributed the cake—with Roy getting the very first piece—and everyone started to eat.

"Aw, you squids know me too well," the tanned inkling commented as he ate his red velvet cake. "Which bakery did you go to?"

"The one down the street," Alexis chimed in. "They have a lot of cakes there."

"Okay." Everyone continued to eat their cakes, having rather pleasant chatter. Marie, however, looked rather worried as she ate, not saying a single word.

"Is something wrong?" Bonnie asked after a while, looking over at the idol.

"…I'm just thinking about Callie," she admitted. "We have the best squids looking for her, but I still can't help but be worried."

"I hope she comes back soon," Inigo added. "It's been, what, a month now?"

"The Great Zapfish's still gone, too," Octavia continued. "But it has to come back soon, right? It only took, what, a month? The first time around for it to come back."

Marie, still frowning, remained silent and continued to eat her cake. Once everyone finished eating, everyone got up from their seats, though they just awkwardly stood there, awaiting a decision.

"…Did you bring me presents?" Roy asked.

Perry's face fell, and then he cried, "We forgot the presents!"

Via cursed and added, "I knew I was forgetting something!"

"Oh well," Marie said, shrugging. "I still have a concert here, you know. I can just… sing."

"You aren't just gonna sing _Tide Goes Out_?" the red-haired inkling muttered.

"Well, yeah. I have other singles, too," the grey-haired inkling pointed out.

"Then so be it," Inigo mused. "We can still have a good time either way, right? Just us, sitting in the stands, watching the concert."

"Especially when that singer's Marie of the Squid Sisters," Bon-Bon added.

"What are we waiting for, then?" Roy asked. "Let's get right back to it!"

Everyone returned to where they were sitting, while Marie returned to the stage. She continued to sing her songs, and for some songs, the Rainbow Squids even sang along to them. In the end, it was clear to Roy that this was a party he would not forget for a long, long time.


	16. The Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia finds a mysterious note on her backpack and decides to investigate.

_Octavia's PoV_

One day at school, Via and Bonnie were walking through the halls, chatting about their classes.

"So, today in math, these two jellyfish had a fight," Bonnie started.

"A fight? What do they do, sting each other?" Octavia quipped. _They're gelatinous blobs that don't have proper hands; two of them fighting each other would get them nowhere._

"Well… yes… but they also threw books at each other," the beige-skinned inkling muttered. "…And calculators. And pencils."

"Okay… how did it start?" the orange-haired inkling pressed.

"You see, one of them sat on the other's phone, and it broke," she explained. "He was not happy."

"Yikes…" the other inkling murmured. Suddenly, Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she looked at her friend's backpack. "…What?"

"There's a note sticking out of your backpack pocket," she pointed out. She took a white piece of paper out of the backpack and gave it to Octavia. Looking at it, it notably had bad handwriting, and several words were spelled wrong.

"'Meet the Octobrush Master this night at 6:00 PM. Come by yourself, and do not forget your Octobrush!'" she read out loud. Looking at the address, she then added, "It's near Perry's mansion. Whoever this 'Octobrush Master' is must have quite a bit of money."

"Should you really go, though?" Bonnie questioned. "It basically says to come alone, and who's to say they won't randomly splat you?"

"Hmm… I don't know…" she admitted. "I could learn something new."

"I still don't like that idea," the girl with the double bun grumbled.

"I'll ask the others at lunch, let's see what they think," Via decided.

Later, at lunch, when Octavia explained the earlier events, Roy shook his head and declared, "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" the bronze-skinned inkling asked.

"Well, we don't know who put that note in your backpack. It could be anyone!" he argued.

"At the very least, it's an inkling," Inigo pointed out. "We're the only ones that can use these kinds of weapons."

"But can we trust them? I think not!" the red-haired inkling argued, pointing his finger towards the ceiling while boasting a cocky grin.

"On the other hand…" The fair-skinned boy grabbed his arm and pulled it down, causing Roy to lose his grin. "Via could at least see what's up with this 'Octobrush Master'."

"Yeah, they can't be all too bad," Yuri agreed.

"There's still a risk!" Roy snapped. "She could get splatted, and we'd never see her again!"

"I seem like the only one to agree with Roy…" Bonnie muttered. She looked over at Perry, who was silently eating a sandwich as he listened to the conversation. "What about you? You've been quiet the entire time!"

"Personally, I'd say 'splat it' and just go, Via," the purple-haired inkling advised. "Well, ya could go with your instinct, too, but that's boring."

"Instinct, huh?" In her eyes, it actually wasn't such a bad idea to rely on her instinct. She felt a yearning inside of her to go investigate; perhaps it was this. Regardless, with the attitudes of most of the other Rainbow Squids, she decided that she would go meet the Octobrush Master. "Then… I will go. Because of my instinct, and the fact that most of you want me to go either way."

"Ya see, that's the spirit," Perry approved, taking another bite out of his sandwich.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya if you die tonight," the tan-skinned inkling growled.

Octavia also relayed the situation to Alexis once they got home from school. "You're seriously gonna do this?!" her younger sister protested. "This is a bad idea!"

"Well, I've already made up my mind," she snapped, and then she left the house to go grab her Octobrush Nouveau from the Deca Tower. When she came back, brush in hand, her mother simply stared at her, bewildered once she opened the door.

"I haven't seen your weapon in months!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened, mom," Via said. "I'm just taking it to… a friend's house, today." She didn't want to freak out her parents too much. She bet that they would forbid her from leaving if they found out she was going to a random classmate's house.

"What time?" her mother then asked.

"6:00. Tonight. I shouldn't be there for too long," she replied.

"Well, go have fun tonight," the older inkling said, smiling.

"Don't worry, I will."

A half hour before six, Octavia said goodbye to her family, hopped in the family car, and started driving down the streets of Inkopolis. Though she had the GPS on her phone on, she still looked down at the note every now and then, anticipated what she could come across at this Octobrush Master's house. The house she arrived at was not in good shape compared to the other houses on the same street, notably a lawn overgrown with grass and weeds. She rang the doorbell, and she heard the door unlock before some footsteps scampering further into the house. She opened the door, and was met with a cobweb, right in her face. She let out a cry as she flailed her arms around, trying to destroy it. Once it was gone, she saw some of its remains on her hand and shook it off.

The paint on the walls was chipped, and the floor creaked with every footstep she took. Images hanging on the wall were dusty, so dusty that she could not make out the contents of each individual picture. The only way she knew where she was going was by the starch white papers hanging up against the walls, directed her where to go. She ascended into the dark basement, which smelled of mold.

"Hello? Octobrush Master?" Via called. "You seriously need an inspector to come around."

"What do you mean?" said a new, feminine voice. The light turned on, revealing a funny-looking inkling. "This house would be of the finest variety."

"Maya Ocellus?" The inkling with light brown skin was a new student this year, coming from a foreign place. She had thick black hair that was shoulder-length, and it was tipped in purple. Like Inigo, she didn't wear anything on her head, but she wore a mint tee and Suede Marine lace-ups. Her most notable feature was a kelp bracelet she wore on her wrist; no one knows where she got it. She had dull blue eyes as well.

"That is my name," she confirmed. "Or, the Octobrush Master, if you will."

"Maya, we don't have to be formal," the bronze-skinned inkling pointed out.

"My apologies," the funny-looking inkling said. She still had a heavy accent to her voice. "I am trying to being one of the fresh."

Octavia scratched her head. "…I guess it's the effort that counts. Anyways, can we go into this session or whatever now?"

"Yes." Maya picked up an Octobrush herself, though the design was notably different. The main body of the brush was black, edged in red. The bristles appeared to be the same color of an ordinary Octobrush, though, though it was tipped in her ink color, purple, instead of orange like Via's. "Ink the floor."

"Okay…" She did a few swipes of her brush on the ground, leaving an orange streak. "What next?"

"Go in the ink." Slipping into her squid form, Via jumped into the ink. No more commands came from the black-haired inkling, and she saw her disappear into the darkness. _What is she doing_? the orange squid thought, confused by her actions. Suddenly, she heard a brush rolling along the ground, getting louder with each passing second. Before it could run her over, she emerged and started swinging her Octobrush Nouveau. A few swings later, she saw Maya covered in orange ink.

"My ink is not the color purple," she clarified. "It is now the orange, to the likeness of you." She wiped off the ink on one of her tentacles, revealing orange ends.

"So that's why you disappeared!" the bronze-skinned inkling exclaimed. "You changed your ink color!"

"No," Maya rebutted bluntly. "I wished for you to practice the ambush."

"…And that, too." Putting the bristles of the Octobrush Nouveau down to the ground, she asked, "What's my next lesson, oh mighty Octobrush Master?"

"You need to do the practice more," she informed. "You need to be able to perfect the ambush."

"Then, wipe that ink off of you, and we'll get right to it." Via hopped into the ink again, and Maya disappeared once more. A few moments later, she came back around, and she reemerged from the ink and attacked her again. They repeated this a few more times until the funny-looking inkling told her to stop.

"You are doing well," she commented. "Now, for the next item." Maya disappeared into the darkness and came back out with a few boxes. "Climb to the top of this and attack me from above. Try your best."

"…I already attack people from above a lot, why would I need to practice this?" the wavy-haired inkling asked, her question edged with sass.

"Just do the it," she demanded. The other inkling sighed and climbed on top of the boxes. With that, Maya dashed back into the darkness with her brush, and a few moments later, she charged towards the boxes. With impressive speed, Octavia swung her brush at the inkling with light brown skin, causing her to tumble to the floor.

"See? I'm good, aren't I?" the orange-haired inkling teased.

"You are the good, _and_ the fresh," Maya mused, awe sparkling in her blue eyes. She got up to her feet, and offered, "Do you want to know the history of the Octobrush?"

"Well, I've never thought about it, but sure, I guess."

She let out a sigh and started her tale. "As you can the guess from its name, the Octobrush was a weapon originally developed by the Octarians."

"If it was developed by the Octarians, why do we have it?"

"The inklings stole it during the Great Turf War."

"That makes sense. I mean, we are enemies, after all."

A nervous smile crept up Maya's face, and she muttered, "…Right…"

"The concept and general mechanics of the Octobrush are still the same from the hundred years past, though is more modern when compared to the past." She paused, looking down at her feet before murmuring, "…No." Her attention returned to Octavia. "That is all."

"Fresh," the wavy-haired inkling simply commented. "So, ya got anything else for me?"

With a confident smile, Maya boldly asked, "We should fight in the turf war. You will be able to test your skills there."

"The Deca Tower is kinda far from here, though!" she cried.

"We can do the walk," the other girl argued.

"Oh, fine…" The two inklings ran out of the house, where Octavia then directed Maya to her car. "We're taking this, then."

They drove back to downtown Inkopolis, where they eventually arrived at the square. They hopped out of the car, weapons in hand, and ran into the tower. Via pointed to one of the free elevators, in which there was already a few inklings inside. The two stepped in it, and she took the chance to look at the other inklings with her.

Counting Via and Maya, there were currently five inklings. The first inkling, a boy with a buzzcut and pale skin was wearing 18K Aviators on his head, obscuring his eyes. Alongside that, he wore a half-sleeve sweater and cream hi-tops. In his hands was the standard Blaster. The second inkling was an olive-skinned girl wearing a camping hat, alongside short hair and green eyes. She also had on a black anchor tee and black flip-flops. Her weapon of choice appeared to be the Tri-Slosher. The third and final inkling wore studio headphones like Yuri, though he had a ponytail. Wearing a Birded Corduroy jacket and punk blacks as well, he held a Splattershot Pro in his hands.

Soon, the rest of the elevator was filled, with three inklings, one with a Splat Roller, one with a Splash-o-matic, and one with a N-ZAP '89, walking in. The elevator started to descend, with everyone standing in awkward silence. Soon, the floor opened up below them, revealing the familiar grate, and they all slipped through it. Soon, Octavia reformed from the spawn pad on Moray Towers. Within an instant, globs of light blue ink began shooting down at the ground. _Blue, huh? I can work with that_.

Putting the bristles on the ground, the wavy-haired inkling began running towards the center of the map. The sooner they can control it, the better. Some time later, she jumped down to the bottommost platform and began swinging her Octobrush Nouveau. However, she suddenly had a wad of pink ink in her face. She let out a cry and stumbled backwards, wiping the ink out of her eyes. Squinting, her orange eyes focused on the girl with Tri-Slosher. Splashes of pink ink were present where she was once standing. A cocky smile was plastered on her face.

"How 'bout that!" she boasted. She stuck out a tongue and jumped down, Tri-Slosher in hand.

"Oh, no you don't!" Swinging around the girl with the Tri-Slosher, she started to swing her brush in order to splat her. The other inkling managed to hit her with her weapon once before exploding into a puddle of blue ink. "Booyah!" Via cheered.

"Good job," commented someone behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the boy with the Splat Roller, holding it in its inactive position.

"Thanks," she thanked. "But we have to keep pushing."

"Right." He slammed down the roller and started to push it forward towards the slopes. Octavia slipped into the ink and slowly inched up them. If she could maintain stealth, then perhaps she could actually ambush someone.

Her chance came when she saw the boy with the blaster walk down towards the middle area, shooting a ring of ink every now and then. The wavy-haired inkling inched closer to him and emerged from the ink at last, catching him off guard as she swung her brush back in forth. However, it wasn't in vein, as he managed to shoot her right in the abdomen, splatting her.

Once she respawned, she wrapped an arm around her stomach, wincing from the leftover pain from the explosion. "Ow…" she moaned. She slipped into her squid form and jumped down to the next tower, where she placed a Squid Beakon on the box in the middle. From there, she jumped down to the next tower, where she was able to survey the middle area. She spotted Maya running around, inking the area with pink ink. Smirking, she swiped her brush a little bit, leaving a little pool of blue ink. When she wasn't looking, Octavia jumped into that pool and waited for the funny-looking inkling to notice it.

Indeed, she did, as she saw her dive into the ink, leaving behind ripples where she travelled. When she reemerged to cover the spot back up, Via reemerged as well, and started hitting her with the Octobrush Nouveau, and of course, Maya retaliated. They ended up splatting at the same time. When Octavia respawned, she decided to super-jump to the boy with the Splat Roller. She turned into her squid form, and soon, a stream of blue ink sprawled out from behind her, and she landed next to the boy with the roller.

The boy with the roller, whose hair was styled into a side cut, with a small ponytail in the back, gasped upon seeing her. "You! Octobrush girl! You came at just the right time!" He jumped up into the air, doing a vertical swing and sending a stream of ink out in front of him. "You gotta help me get up further."

"Will do." Winking and dipping her hat, she stepped in front of him and started swinging her brush back and forth, eventually inking a wide path. The two inklings made their way up the ramp when a third inkling super-jumped to them.

"Need help?" offered the girl with the N-ZAP '89. She pulled out an Autobomb and threw it in front of her. After a second, it started to waddle up the slope. Octavia put the bristles of the brush down and started walking up the ramp, following the Autobomb. A girl with the Splash-o-matic soon emerged from the ink and started shooting at her. Gasping, she started to run faster, going past the enemy. Before Via could land a hit on her, however, the Autobomb exploded, splatting her. "That should do it," concluded the girl with the N-ZAP. With that, the three inklings advanced forward.

However, they were stopped quickly when Maya appeared again. Smirking, she dove into the ink, vanishing from sight.

"…Where did that weird-looking girl go?" the inkling with the Splat Roller murmured.

"She's probably trying to ambush us," the wavy-haired inkling assumed. "We have to be careful."

"Then…" He did another vertical swing, and a cry could be heard as an explosion of blue ink appeared. "There. She's gone."

"I'm impressed," commented the girl with the N-ZAP. She had pigtails.

"Regardless, let's move on," Via commanded. The three inklings climbed up the ramps some more, until they got to the topmost tower, where the spawn was located. When Maya saw the three, her lip curled, and she launched into the ink.

"You must be the fools," her voice jeered. "You came all the way here, yet you ignore the other side." She emerged briefly to throw an Autobomb at them before hiding again.

"The other side?" The three inklings looked over at the other side of the back, only to be horrorstruck to see it mostly covered in pink. The bomb exploded, taking out all three inklings.

When they respawned, the other member of their team, the boy with the Splattershot Pro, was struggling to keep control of their area. He looked up at the three newcomers, clearly upset.

"Where were you squids?!" he snapped. "You left me alone!"

"The enemy side," Octavia replied.

"Don't worry, we'll help you now," the girl with the pigtails declared. All three inklings jumped down to the main platform and started walking the towards the first ramp, where the girl with the Tri-Slosher and the boy with the Blaster were located. The boy with the Splat Roller did a vertical swing, taking out the girl. The boy was just barely able to dodge, but the inkling with the Splattershot Pro swooped in to take the kill.

"That's a start," he muttered. "We have to keep going; we only have a minute left." All four inklings started running down the ramps at their own speeds, covering them back up with blue ink. Via, being the fastest, was the first to encounter the next enemy—the girl with the Splash-o-matic. She threw a bottle at her, covering the wavy-haired inkling with a pink haze. She quickly turned around and shot back up the ramp she came from.

"Help, please?!" Octavia cried, looking back at the other three inklings. The girl with the N-ZAP '89 came to join her and threw an Autobomb at the toxic mist.

"That should do it," she said. She was proven wrong when she noticed the inkling with the Splash-o-matic jump down to the tower below. "…Or not."

"Well, I guess it's time for the Tenta Missiles," Via declared. Pulling out a pair of launchers, she locked the missiles onto two inklings on the top of the enemy tower and hit the trigger. Several missiles shot out of the launchers, and soon, light blue streams crashed down towards the top of the enemy tower, exploding on contact. "Ha! Let's see who wins now!"

The other two members of their team came to join them, and they continued to progress down the towers. However, as she ran through the pink ink, brush down, Maya popped out of the ink and started to swing her brush. Octavia scrambled away from her, but not before the funny-looking inkling could get a hit on her. Once she was far away enough, she pointed her Octobrush Nouveau at Maya, breathing heavily as pink enemy ink dripped off her.

"This… the real test," she said. "It is just us, in the midst of the battle. If you can get the win, then you have passed, Octavia."

"Let's keep it fair, though." The wavy-haired inkling submerged herself into the ink to recover before she attacked. "We must be at our best, first."

"Now, start!" The two inklings charged at each other, each getting a hit on each other before they faced each other with their backs. "You are not bad," Maya complimented, "but will you get the win?"

"Yeah." Via charged towards her, aiming for her back. Her blue eyes widened as a streak of blue ink marked her back, but she swung around and hit the bronze-skinned inkling hard, knocking her to the ground. She quickly got up and gave one final swing to Maya, splatting her. With that, the whistle blew, ending the match.

Judd and Li'l Judd were quick to arrive, and they did their little dance before the latter struck out a pink flag, declaring the enemy the winner. The boy with the Splattershot Pro, who was watching Maya's and Octavia's duel, let out a cry of frustration and threw his weapon to the ground. Soon, everyone super-jumped back to the lobby, where the specific stats of the battle were displayed.

As the screen displayed the map, Maya walked up to the wavy-haired inkling and put a hand on her shoulder. "That was the freshest of the duels, do you agree?"

"…I suppose it was a fresh duel," Via reluctantly agreed, scratching the back of her head. "Our team may have lost, but I still won the duel."

"It is the reverse for me. My team got a win, but I did not. Regardless, I still had the fun," the light brown-skinned inkling added.

"And fun is what counts!" Octavia exclaimed.

Giving a distant look, Maya smiled. "You are in the right; it is the fun that the counts."


	17. Hidden Tracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A co-worker finds a record during a Salmon Run and gives it to Yuri.

_Yuri's PoV_

In the midst of a Salmon Run, the dark-skinned inkling found himself running away from a Steel Eel, clanking its jaws as it lumbered on towards him. In his hands he clenched some Splat Dualies, one of his least favorite weapons. Considering he was running straight towards the water, his chances of surviving looked slim. As he covered his face, preparing to be splatted, the Steel Eel suddenly came crashing down, leaving behind some golden eggs in the end. When the rubble cleared, he saw his savior—an inkling with the ends of her hair chopped off. Yuri recognized her as Lori from Perry's photos, despite her not introducing herself.

"Grab these eggs and let's finish this round," the grey-eyed inkling commanded. The dark-skinned inkling nodded and swiped one of the eggs left behind and started running back towards the egg basket. When they returned, however, more salmonids began to close in on them. Backs up against each other, they gave each other a worried glance.

"Where are the others?" Yuri asked.

"I don't know, but they have to be somewhere," Lori replied. At that moment, two inklings started to cry for help. "…Or not. We're going to lose this round."

"Not with that attitude!" Yuri started to shoot the Chums lumbering towards them. "C'mon, you have the Sploosh-o-matic! I heard it's a pretty good weapon."

"Not in my hands," the grey-eyed inkling grumbled.

"Don't ya just hold down the trigger and boom, enemy splatted?"

"I'm used to weapons that take time to charge up," she explained. Pressing down the trigger, a few salmonids coming her way were splatted. "I'm not used to being on the front lines."

"Honestly? Same," the yellow-eyed inkling agreed. "But… it's what we got. We just have to push forward."

Lori simply nodded, and the two took a few steps forwards, trying their best to clear a path through the salmonids and reach the inklings on the beach. They had to fall back sometimes, as the salmonids became rather overwhelming at some points. However, by the time they got to the beach, time ran out, and the salmonids started heading back towards the water. Lori cursed and threw her Sploosh-o-matic to the ground.

All four inklings super-jumped back to the boat, where the two splatted ones recovered. However, one boy, an inkling with spiky hair like himself, was holding something peculiar.

"Anyone want this?" he asked, holding the record up. "I found this on the beach and grabbed it before I splatted."

"Oh, me!" Yuri exclaimed, jumping up-and-down. "I'll be glad to take it."

"Then it's yours." The inkling tossed the disc to the yellow-eyed inkling, who then inspected it. The sticker on it depicted a group of salmonids with instruments. It was in greyscale, too.

"Thanks," he said. "I'm gonna go listen to this now!"

"Can I join you?" Lori asked. "I'm kinda curious."

"Sure, but first, let's get off this boat."

After the boat returned to Inkopolis, the two inklings stepped off the boat and changed back to their normal ink colors. Though Yuri's ink was obviously yellow, Lori's was teal. Record still in hand, the two walked out of Grizzco's and started walking down the street, towards Yuri's house.

"It sucks we have to walk to your house," the teal-haired girl commented, adjusting her cycling hat. "A car would be much better."

"I dunno, the scenic route is nice," the yellow-haired inkling pointed out. Lori simply shrugged, and they continued on their way.

Yuri's house was a townhouse closest to the school the Rainbow Squids attended, which was convenient for him, as he could just walk to school. As far as townhouses go, however, his was on the bigger side, accommodating for himself, his mom, and his siblings. The two inklings were immediately granted with the sight of one them when they opened the door.

"Is that your girlfriend?" asked Yasmin, Yuri's younger sister of roughly twelve years of age.

"No, sorry," the spiky-haired inkling replied. "She's just gonna listen to this record we found with me."

"Oh, okay," she simply said. The young inkling stepped out of the way to let the two older ones through. "I'll tell Mom you're here."

"Great." Winking, he gave a thumbs up, and the two then rushed up the stairs. Once they arrived at the next floor, where everyone's rooms were located, they walked over to the room with a Squid Sisters poster plastered on its door. Yuri informed Lori that it was his room, and he opened the door for her before walking in himself. He closed the door and opened his closet, pulling out a record player.

"Out of all things, why do you have a _record player_?" the teal-haired inkling asked, who was cleaning the dirt off it.

"Well, my dad owned a lot of records," he explained. "…When he passed away, my mom allowed me to keep the records instead of throwing them away." Despite happening many years ago, he still hated discussing the details surrounding his father's death. It hasn't bothered him as much as it did in the past, but it was still a touchy subject for him.

Lori simply dipped her head in respect and solemnly responded, "I see."

"In the end, though…" Once the girl was done cleaning it, she gave it to him, and he put the unknown record into the player. "Let's take a listen to this." Closing it, the record began to play. The two inklings pulled up beanbags and sat back in them, listening to it. The first track was rather soft, with a lot of timpani and electronic beats, but a cello started playing in the background after a while, getting louder overtime. It eventually faded out.

"You know, for something with salmonids on the cover, this isn't that bad," the inkling with grey eyes commented, putting her arms behind her head.

"You think the salmonids made this?" Yuri asked.

"Probably."

"Would records even work underwater?"

"I'm sure they found a way." She smirked as a louder piece started to play. "Time for the next one." In this piece, the cello and timpani were heavier and much more prominent, but it still had the same general tune to it. "What the heck! It's basically the same thing!" she cried out in the middle of song.

"Wait until the end, it could have a surprise change to it," the spiky-haired inkling tried to assure. Alas, he was wrong, as there was still no major difference.

Lori let out a long sigh. "If the next one is relatively the same, I'm leaving." The next song started playing, which started with electronic sounds getting higher and higher before resetting a few seconds later. This repeated a few times until the cello and timpani became more prominent. Hearing it glitch from time to time unsettled Yuri; it was like he was out in the battlefield, but his life was on the line. The teal-haired inkling seemed to have felt the same way, as he noticed an uneasy expression on her face.

"This is creepy, for eel," he muttered.

"I know." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "And it's tense…"

When the song finished, the two collectively let out a sigh of relief. The next song that played wasn't any better, however. The first few measures of the next song started with a frantic cello, which continued to be prominent through the piece. The timpani continued to bang in the background as usual, though it seemed to be louder when the electronic jingles played from time to time. Towards the middle, the piece seemed to get more solemn, as the cello became quieter. However, it quickly reverted to the previous tune after a while, and back to the solemn theme in the end. The song faded out, and the record stopped spinning.

"Only four songs? That's lame," Lori jeered.

"Even if it's only four songs, they were still pretty good," Yuri remarked. _And creepy,_ he wanted to add.

"Anyways, I guess I'll go." The grey-eyed inkling got up from her beanbag and started walking towards the door.

"Wait! I never asked you for your name!" In a sense, it was true, since he actually never asked for her name. On the other hand, he already knew her name, but he figured it would be weird if he said it out loud before asking.

"Lori, what about you?"

"Yuri's my name. …I guess I'll see you later."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't." The teal-haired inkling winked and left the room for good, leaving Yuri alone. Once she was gone, he took out the record and got up from his seat, too. Walking over to his record collection, he looked for a spare sleeve to put it in. Finding a green one, he slid it in there and set it next to a Chirpy Chips record.

_It's safe there; I don't think anyone else wants it anyways._


	18. Bounce House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis's latest mission brings her to the Octo-Resort Spring, where she's bound to have lots of fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.
> 
> Some of Marie's and Sheldon's dialogue is taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

Breaking the barrier, the short-haired inkling leaped for the zapfish and rolled onto her back, holding the zapfish up into the air. All the while, she had a huge smile on her face.

"I got it!" Alexis cheered.

"Great," Marie applauded over her headset. "You're getting good at this."

"Coming up!" Turning into her squid form, zapfish still in hand, she super-jumped out of the underground lair, and a few seconds later, she emerged from the kettle. Hopping onto the ride rail nearby, she rode it down to the main area, where the grey-haired inkling was waiting. Closing her umbrella and resting the tip of it on the ground, she took the zapfish from Agent 4. "Where to now?" the younger inkling then asked.

"Sheldon's little machine sensed a signal over there," she instructed, pointing towards a building with her umbrella. "You'll need to hop on the propeller lift to reach it, though."

"The one right there?" Alexis asked, pointing to the lift next to it.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Alright!" Inking a path, she walked over to the propeller lift and climbed on it.

"Stop at the next platform!" Marie called once she got on it.

"Okay!" With the Hero Dualies, the bronze-skinned inkling started shooting the propeller, sending it to a platform with a bunch of boxes on it. She climbed up a wooden plank to reach the very top of it, where she then looked around. "…I don't see it." Past an arch, however, she saw another platform with something strange shining in the light. The next kettle. "Never mind!" She inked the platform and made the leap to it. She heaved herself onto the platform, where she suddenly found herself being pounded with enemy ink. Whipping around, she saw a sprinkler on the arch. She quickly shot it, and it broke down, metal scraps falling off the red arch.

"Umm… Agent 4?" Sheldon interjected as she revealed the kettle on the platform.

"Yeah?" Alexis asked.

"…That's not the one I found," he replied. "The next one's on top of a building."

"Yeah, I know that, and… oh." Taking off her headset, she put an ear to the kettle she just revealed and heard the faint voices of a few octolings. She shivered. The first time she encountered octolings was last week, and it did not go over well. She was splatted several times trying to fight them, and once she finally saved all eight mini zapfish, she was relieved. However, this also made Alexis have the horrifying realization that Off the Hook's very own Marina was an octoling. She's avoided watching the news since. She put her headset back on and announced, "I'm not going there."

"Good call," the idol approved. "I don't think you want to crash their party just yet."

Turning around, she saw a few crates on the edge of the platform she came from. She jumped back to them and broke the crates, with one revealing a ride rail. She hopped on it and soon jumped to one that suddenly appeared beside it. She hid in the rail, passing through the grate and landing on top of the building Marie pointed out earlier.

"That's it!" Sheldon exclaimed. "That's the signal I found!"

"Great." She inked the top of the building, and soon, a kettle appeared in the middle of it. _Time to go in._ Smiling, she slipped inside and spawned in an area that reminded her of a boardwalk. Directly in front of her was the bulb that activated a rail.

Instantly, a Hero Shot spawned in her hands. "I could _really_ use some more data on this weapon. Can you use it for a bit?" the horseshoe crab requested.

"Sure thing." Agent 4 activated the ride rail and rode it down to a main, sandy area. It was covered in bounce pads. _A bounce house?! That's so cool…_ When she jumped off the rail and landed on a bounce pad, she started to hop on it idly.

"Trying to walk on a bounce pad won't do much," Marie pointed out. "Jumping, on the other hand, will get you some serious air!" Nodding, Alexis tried jumping on the pad, and it launched her into the air. She jumped onto a platform that could not be normally reached, thanks to the bounce pads. She broke the crates, and a few orange orbs started flying towards her. An Octotrooper in the sand noticed her and shot out a blob of magenta ink, aimed towards her. Peering through the grate hanging off of the platform, she pulled the trigger on the Hero Shot, sending out a few bullets of ink. The Octotrooper very quickly exploded into teal ink. She walked over to the bounce pads behind the puddle of ink and started jumping on them.

"Use the bounce pad to bounce up there and barbecue those baddies!" the idol advised as soon as the short-haired inkling hopped on the pads. A shielded Octotrooper noticed her and started shooting out ink blobs. She gasped and hid behind a small wall. It soon went back to what it was previously doing, giving Alexis the chance to shoot it from behind. Quickly did it splat.

"Yes!" Alexis exclaimed, pumping a fist. She jumped into the teal pool it left behind and walked up to bounce pads leading up to even higher ground. From what she could see, two shielded Octotroopers were patrolling the area. She hid behind the wall until the back of one of them was exposed, and she shot it down. The other Octotrooper, alarmed, swung around and shot another magenta bullet at her. Being in the air, she did not have much time to dodge out of the way, and as a result, some of ink got on the hoodie she was wearing. The Octarian ink stinging, she dove into the pool the ink explosion left behind in order to heal. The enemy was smarter than she realized, however, and it shot an ink blob directly at her chest, shattering the Hero Suit.

"You need to retreat!" Marie demanded. "The Hero Suit will repair itself if you lay low."

Wearing only her undergarments, the headphones, a few bracelets, and damaged boots, Agent 4 jumped down to the bounce pad below and shot a puddle of ink next to it, where she hid. When the pain faded, she reemerged with the Hero Suit on again. Waiting for the back of the shielded Octotrooper to show again, she jumped behind the wall and shot it once she had the chance. It exploded into teal ink, and finally the short-haired inkling could move on. She walked over to the launchpad and launched into the air, landing on another wooden platform.

"I must find one of these bounce pads for some… research," Sheldon commented as Alexis approached a platform covered in pads.

The inkling over the headset sighed and informed, "Those moving walls can send you bouncing to your doom if you're not careful."

"Yikes," she muttered as she jumped onto the bounce pads. A moving wall was approaching her, with some of the orange orbs sticking to it. Sitting on top of it was a suitcase of armor. She leaped into the air, the wall passing by her as she plummeted back towards the pad. She continued jumping, watching as the wall stopped and changed directions. _Should I get the armor?_ she asked herself. She was pulled out of her thoughts as ink hit her side. She looked up to see an Octotrooper shooting at her. She gasped and jumped up to the next platform, shooting at it. Soon, it splatted, and only a key was on the wall. She climbed onto the wall and grabbed the key before walking over to the wooden platform where a vault was located. She unlocked it and proceeded to use the launchpad it revealed.

"Well played!" Marie complimented. The next area Agent 4 arrived seemed to be some sort of conveyor belt, with large boxes circling around some bounce pads in an orderly fashion. It was surrounded by water. "Remember to bounce high!" she reminded as the short-haired inkling stepped onto the line of pads. She jumped onto one of the boxes and inked the top of it. Looking behind her, she saw the box approaching water faster and faster. She inked the box in front of her and jumped on it. She continued this until she arrived at the next platform, a sandy walkway with a flooder patrolling it. She quickly inked a path past it and dashed towards the bounce pad up ahead.

It seemed that even Octarians enjoyed the bounce pads, as they were hopping around on some the bronze-skinned inkling was approaching. She quickly shot the Octotroopers down and arrived at another conveyor belt. This time, the boxes were much narrower, though they were large enough to cover the gap between this walkway and the next. She had the bounce pads to save her in case she fell, but Alexis wanted to cross the gap in one go. Walking up to the edge of the platform, she threw out a curling bomb and dived into the ink, swimming across the platform. She reemerged to take out an Octotrooper blocking her path, quickly inked the wall, and climbed up it before the flooder could cover her in magenta ink.

"Awright," Marie cheered as Alexis passed the checkpoint and used the launchpad to super-jump to her next location. The launchpad sent her directly onto a bounce pad surrounded by four wooden poles. She looked down and gulped upon seeing the drop. Passing through some squid rings, the short-haired inkling jumped down to the next bounce pad, and then the next, and then the next. When she arrived at the bottom of the tower, another launchpad awaited her.

 _That was anti-climactic,_ Alexis thought, but regardless, she super-jumped to the next set of platforms. When she landed, more bounce pads and moving walls awaited her. Once the wall was at the left edge of the pads, she jumped down to them and splatted the Octotrooper stationed on a platform attached to it. Agent 4 jumped onto the platform where it was and hid in the ink. She emerged to splat another one and jumped to the next platform, which featured ascending bounce pads.

"Well done!" the idol complimented. When the short-haired inkling finished climbing the tower, she was met with another moving wall with Octotroopers stationed on top of it. Interestingly, at the end of bounce pad walkway, there was a large Octarian with goggles and a long, thin weapon. A thin green light signaled its line of sight.

"What's that?" Agent 4 asked. The Octotroopers noticed her and started shooting out their blobs of ink, and the mysterious Octarian noticed her and quickly shot out a line of ink, marked by the laser turning red. The magenta ink hit her stomach, and she clenched it pain. She hid behind a bumper next to her. "That thing has a charger or somethin'!"

"That's an Octosniper," Marie explained. "It can easily splat you if you're not careful. So, stay hidden, and things will be a lot easier."

"I see," the bronze-skinned inkling said through clenched teeth. "It packs a punch."

"Rest for a bit," she advised. "Then, move!"

Alexis nodded and inked a puddle out in front of her. Going into her squid form, she slipped into it and waited until she recovered from the shot before emerging again. With newfound determination, she rushed onto the bounce pads, using the walls as cover from the Octosniper. She grabbed the armor and splatted the Octotroopers without much injury. Now, it was only her and the sniper. Hiding behind the wall, she threw a standard splat bomb over it, hoping the explosion would take out the Octarian. Soon, she heard a gargled cry as orange orbs floated towards her.

"Nice!" the grey-haired inkling cheered. The orange-eyed inkling jumped over the wall and arrived at another tower, where more bounce pads awaited her. She climbed that tower once more, and now, she was face-to-face with the zapfish. She broke the barrier and snatched it from the pedestal.

"I got it!" Alexis declared, holding it up in triumph.

"Great! That's two today!"

The bronze-skinned girl brought down the zapfish to eye level and stared into its beady eyes. "Let's go home," she muttered, and then she super-jumped out of the underground lair. Alexis emerged from the kettle with the zapfish in hand, and she jumped down to the mainland where Marie was waiting. "Here you go," she said, giving it to the idol.

"Thanks." She put the zapfish Alexis had just obtained into a box, which contained the other zapfish the short-haired inkling got today. When they saw each other, they started to emit a few sounds, and the second one started to nuzzle the other's cheek. Marie chuckled. "They'll be good friends, that's for sure."

"Mhm," Agent 4 agreed, nodding. "Y'know, I've been meaning to ask you—you know those orange things that just float around in the Octarians' lairs."

"Power eggs?" the grey-haired inkling asked.

"Is that what they're called?"

"Yeah!" Sheldon suddenly piped in. "You already know this, but you can use them to upgrade your weapon at the Ammo Knights Enhancifier back at the Cuttlefish Cabin!"

"Fresh." Alexis then refocused her attention on Marie and asked, "Can we go back to the cabin?"

"Of course." Marie smiled, and the two started walking to the launchpad that would take them to Tentakeel Outpost, where they would retire for the day.


	19. Dancing in Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie faces a team of almost-identical squids during the Vampire vs. Werewolf Splatfest.

_Bonnie's PoV_

In Inkopolis Square, it was a party. Of course, this was expected during a Splatfest. The theme this time around was Vampire vs. Werewolf, and Bonnie was on Team Vampire. She even decked out in a pair of false fangs that stuck out of her mouth. They were uncomfortable, but considering that Halloween was approaching, it was festive. It even garnered a few chuckles from her friends.

"Where'd ya buy those?" Perry asked. "Maybe I should buy a pair for myself."

"But you're on Team Werewolf," Octavia pointed out. She was on Team Vampire, too.

"Hey! Werewolves have fangs too!" the purple-eyed inkling snapped.

"Well…" The fake fangs had given the inkling with a double bun somewhat of a lisp. "I bought 'em from a costume store… Flatflage, I think?"

"I've been to a Flatflage store," Roy grumbled. He was on Team Vampire. "The manager of that one was very mean."

"What happened?" Inigo asked. He was on Pearl's team, too.

"Roy and I were going to buy a costume for my little sister," Yuri piped in. He was on Team Werewolf, like Perry. "She wanted a princess costume, so we found a princess costume."

"Before ya continue, Yuri," the pale-skinned inkling chimed in. "Which sister was it for? The twelve-year old or the twin?"

"The twin," he clarified.

"Alright, alright." Perry leaned back in his chair. "Go on with the story."

"Alright, so, the manager, who was just walking around, walked up to us and just…" The tanned inkling did a swiping motion. "Bam! He ripped the costume out of Yuri's hands and told us we're not little girls!"

"I tried telling him it was for my sister, but he wouldn't listen," the dark-skinned inkling added.

"That's horrible!" Bonnie gasped. _I'm glad I never encountered anything like that at Flatflage!_

"Your sister did get a costume in the end, right?" Via asked. "I would hate coming home without one."

"Oh, yeah," the spiky-haired inkling reassured. "We just went to another store."

"I'm still mad about it," Roy growled. "Even though it's been a week since then."

"Well, the past is the past," Yuri said. "We can just forget about it and move on."

"Right…" Inigo muttered, giving a small smile. "Anyways, shall we go to Deca Tower?"

"Before we go…" Octavia heaved an orange bag up on the table and opened it to reveal several skull bandanas. "I bought these for us to wear."

"You only bought six, right?" the red-eyed inkling asked. "Because I'm already wearing one."

"Don't worry, Roy. I made sure of it." The wavy-haired inkling put on one of the bandanas, and then the other inklings at the table took one. Afterwards, Via showed him the inside of the bag. "See? It's empty."

"Good," he grumbled.

Bonnie took off her glasses, and suddenly, everything became blurry. She popped the false fangs out of her mouth and put on the skull bandana. She wished she brought her contacts now, as poor eyesight would not help her much with aiming her Classic Squiffer. To be fair, Via's reveal of the skull bandanas was sudden, so she had no time to prepare.

"It's weird to not have a hat on," Perry commented as he set his king flip mesh down on the table.

"It's weird to have _anything_ on my head," Inigo added.

"Well, you have a ponytail," the inkling with spiked bangs pointed out. "I don't."

"…True," he admitted.

"Anyways, ready to have some spooky matches?" Alexis asked, standing up from her chair. She would be joining Yuri and Perry on Team Werewolf. "I bet this Shifty Station is extra fresh!"

"I think all the Shifty Stations are fresh," commented Bon-Bon. "But I still like the normal stages, too."

"Kelp Dome is especially pretty in the nighttime, don't you think?" Inigo added.

"There's a lot of plants in there, that's for sure," the wavy-haired inkling then grumbled. "When the Squid Sisters still did Splatfests, I got lost in there once. It was a nightmare!"

"You still think about that?" Roy exasperated. "It's been two years since then!"

"Hey, it was a bad day for me!" Octavia protested.

The inkling with the double bun couldn't help but give a small chuckle. During the Cats vs. Dogs Splatfest, everyone was very enthusiastic to explore the new nighttime stages. Unfortunately, when Via decided to explore Kelp Dome by herself, she got lost. By the time everyone noticed, a few inklings went into the dome to search for her. She was later found wandering into the middle of another match, and she was quickly escorted out of it. Nowadays, everyone just laughed about it, but Via was still bitter about the experience.

"Anyways, isn't Kelp Dome a stage you can play on right now?" Bonnie then asked.

"It is," Inigo confirmed. "That's why I mentioned it."

"Man, it makes me want to play a match already," Yuri effused. "Seriously, we really should!"

"Right," the inkling with his hair swept to the side agreed. "Why waste our time talking when we can get out there and kick Werewolf butt?"

"…You do realize three of us are on Team Werewolf, right?" Alexis pointed out.

"…Oh yeah." The tan-skinned inkling scratched his head. "I forgot that."

"Anyways…" Perry got up from his chair and started walking to the Deca Tower, twirling his hat around his finger. "Let's go, shall we!"

"Yeah!" The rest of the Rainbow Squids soon followed him into the tower, where it was crowded, like everyone expected. The inklings slipped their way through the mass of inklings towards the interface where they would open the storage room their weapons were in. Roy opened the room, causing the panel to slide open. They rushed downstairs, grabbed their weapons, and returned to the ground floor, where they would search for the elevator that would lead them to a stage.

"Okay, Via, Bon-Bon, Inigo, and I will go into that elevator," the red-eyed inkling decided, pointing to one of the free ones. "So, Yuri, Perry, and Alexis will go into another one."

"Well, duh," the wavy-haired inkling said. "How else would we do it?"

No one said anything in response, so everyone just shrugged and started walking towards the elevators. The inklings on Team Vampire crowded into one of the elevators, where a group of inklings wearing orange t-shirts with a werewolf on it awaited them. All of them were male with fair skin and green eyes, sporting a hairstyle where their hair was slicked back. They also all wielded the Splattershot and wore canary trainers on their feet. The only way to distinguish them from one another was their hats.

"They all look the same," Bon-Bon whispered to Octavia.

"I know," she responded softly. "Not much we can do about it."

The elevator door closed shut, and it started to descend. Quickly, the grate under them opened, and everyone slipped into their squid form to head to the next match. A few moments, later, Bonnie spawned on top of a circular platform, with a glass dome stretching above them. _Kelp Dome_ , she realized. _We were just talking about it; what a coincidence!_

Soon, her teammates launched off the spawn point and started covering the area around them with purple ink. Bonnie started firing her squiffer rapidly, allowing her to ink the surrounding area faster. While Inigo and Via took the left walkway, Roy took the right one. The inkling with the double bun figured she might as well follow him; he might need someone with long range to back him up. She ran after him, inking the surrounding area as much as she could.

"Hey, Bon-Bon," the red-eyed inkling greeted. "You sure you don't wanna follow the others? I can hold my own just fine." He inked a ramp leading to another section of the stage before jumping from it.

Slipping into her squid form momentarily, the beige-skinned girl joined him over the glass containers. "Thought you might need some range," she replied.

"…I guess," Roy agreed. "Just stay behind me, OK?"

"OK." As the two inklings advanced, more and more orange ink quickly came into range. It was clear the other team was trying to control the middle of the stage before the Rainbow Squids could. Suddenly, a boy with a backwards cap emerged from the ink, shooting ink from his Splattershot at them. An inkling with a Firefin facemask soon joined him. _There's two of them!_ Bonnie threw a point sensor at the two inklings, causing a purple arrow to start swirling around them. _Via, Inigo, please come quickly…_

Bon-Bon started charging up her charger, aiming at them. She wasn't sure which one to hit just yet, but she knew she had to decide quickly. Roy fired his Luna Blaster right in the face of the boy with the Firefin facemask, instantly splatting him. Smiling, she aimed her Classic Squiffer at the other boy and fired. He splatted as well.

"Booyah! Two are down!" the inkling with hair swept to the side cheered.

Soon, Inigo ran into view, panting. "What happened?" he asked.

"Two of the squids attacked us," Bon-Bon explained.

"But we took them down!" Roy finished.

"Why'd you throw the point sensor, then?" the indigo-eyed inkling asked.

"Just in case they overwhelmed us," she replied.

"Well, it's glad you took them down," he said. "Tracking doesn't last forever, y'know."

"Yeah, I know," the inkling with the double bun pointed out. "But, the Carbon Roller and the Octobrush are both f-"

Before she could finish her sentence, another inkling with a Splattershot emerged from orange ink and splatted Inigo, catching the others off guard. This one wore studio headphones, much like Yuri. Growling, Roy rushed up to him, but the newcomer was quick, and he launched a burst bomb at him before finishing him off with the shooter weapon. Bonnie gasped, stepping back as she charged up her weapon. Looking around, she noticed that orange ink started to surround her, and another inkling splatted her before she could fire her shot at the inkling with the headphones.

When she respawned, she heard Roy yell, "Darn it!" before diving back into the ink himself. Looking around, things were grim. The purple area was shrinking, being replaced with orange. Bon-Bon fell her jaw drop. _How could a team of just Splattershots cover so much turf in so little time?!_

"Just who are you, anyways?" she heard Via ask. Bonnie swam over to her to check things out. Octavia was standing on the edge of a ramp, looking down upon the inkling wearing the headphones and the inkling wearing the backwards cap.

"We're the Splatteruplets," replied the inkling with the headphones. "Evan, Kevin, Devin, and me—Seven!"

"I guess your parents ran out of ideas," the wavy-haired inkling remarked. "Seriously, who names their kid _Seven_?" she then whispered to Bonnie, who just shrugged in response.

"Hey! Seven's the freshest brother in the world!" the inkling with the backwards cap defended. "He's the best Splattershot main around, and he knows all the latest trends, too!"

"Wouldn't it hurt to at least get different hairstyles?" Bon-Bon queried, hostility edging her voice. In the meantime, she charged up her Classic Squiffer. _Maybe I can catch them off-guard._

"What? No!" the inkling next to Seven cried. "The Slick hairstyle is the freshest there is!" Once he finished his sentence, the blue-eyed inkling released the trigger, sending a beam of purple ink right through the inkling with the headphone's chest, instantly splatting him. The inkling left standing gasped and snapped, "How dare you!" He threw a burst bomb at them, though both girls swam away before it could land.

The two jumped down to the ground and swung around the bend, where the inkling with the backwards cap awaited them. Via ran up to him and started swinging her Octobrush Nouveau, quickly splatting him. Gesturing for Bonnie to follow, the wavy-haired inkling put the bristles down to the ground and started running, leaving a trail for her friend. The beige-skinned inkling slipped into the ink and swam to the middle area, which had been covered in orange ink since they had been splatted. On the top of the center platform was an inkling wearing a tennis headband. Once his green eyes spotted the inklings, he aimed the Splattershot at them.

"So, you splatted Seven and Kevin?" he gibed. "How? Did you dance, so they decided to splat from embarrassment?"

"Hey, I'm a good dancer!" Octavia protested. "I took ballet classes as a kid!"

"So did I," Bonnie added, "but I'm still not a good dancer."

"Well, you'll have to dance if you want to splat me." The boy with the headband shot a few bullets of ink into the air before rushing towards them. He leaped into the air, a glowing orange circle appearing around him and the girls.

"Splashdown!" Via cried. "Run!"

Slipping into her squid form, the blue-eyed inkling barely managed to escape the ink splash spawned from the Splashdown. However, some of it still managed to get on her, but she ignored it as she threw a point sensor at her attacker. Noticing the swirling black arrow, he growled and started running towards her again. Gasping, Bonnie dove into her ink and swam away towards the Rainbow Squids' spawn point. The inkling with the headband continued to chase her, covering the area in orange ink in the process. Once she was far away enough, she started charging up her squiffer. When it was full, she shot out the ink beam, but he jumped over it, the shot narrowly missing him.

Soon, a wave of ink crashed down in front of her, though the other inkling swam back towards the middle, causing it to miss. Looking beside her, she saw Inigo and his Carbon Roller, though he frowned when he realized it missed.

"Inigo!" the inkling with the double bun exclaimed upon his arrival.

"Hey," he greeted, standing up after kneeling. Orange ink started to push its way back into their side of the map, the boy with the headband reappearing. This time, he was joined by the boy with the Firefin facemask. "I splatted again, but now that I've respawned, I figured I should go help you."

"Thanks," Bonnie started, "but now's the time to fight." The two brothers had inked a circle around Bonnie and Inigo, trapping them.

"And there's no way you can escape," commented the boy with the facemask. "You're trapped."

"Not if we get one of you first," the inkling with the ponytail teased, attacking the other inkling with a vertical swing. The boy with the headband stepped out of the way and started shooting at his opponents. At the same time, the blue-eyed inkling shot a charged shot at the boy with the facemask, though he dodged the shot as well.

"You're gonna have to be faster than that," the boy with the headband sneered. "Too slow, aren't ya?" He threw a burst bomb at the two squids, and they leaped out of the way, causing the bomb to land at his brother's feet instead. The two quickly inked a spot where they could stand, and they readied their weapons again.

"Are you faster than this?" Inigo threw an autobomb at the ground. It stood there for a moment before it started to waddle on over to the inkling with the headband.

"Agh!" He took a few steps back before looking over at the boy with the facemask. "Devin! Do something!" He opened his mouth to respond before a purple beam pierced through him, splatting him. The autobomb stopped moving and started to expand, causing the remaining inkling, presumably Evan, to scramble away. The resulting explosion got some purple ink on his back.

"I'll go after him, Bon-Bon," the fair-skinned inkling announced. "Stay here!"

"Will do." She watched as her friend put the roller down, pushing it along to create a trail of ink. With that, she covered up the orange ink with purple ink and turned around to see the other side of the area. Seeing it was purple, she decided to swim until she came across orange territory again. She reemerged from the ink on the top of the ramp she followed at the beginning of the match, seeing that the area was now covered in orange. She started shooting her squiffer to cover it back up.

A few seconds later, however, a whistle blew, marking the end of the game. Sighing, she sat down with legs crossed, looking at the turf her team managed to cover. _We lost for sure,_ she concluded. Now, all she had to do was to wait for Judd and Li'l Judd to arrive.

Some time later, the two cats did. They were positioned on top of the glass domes near where Bonnie was sitting. Moments later, they did a little dance before Li'l Judd struck out an orange flag, causing Judd to fall on his belly. _I knew it_. The beige-skinned inkling stood up, and then she prepared to super jump back to the tower, soon launching into the sky.

The inklings arrived at the room displaying their results. The Rainbow Squids could only get as far as inking the entire walkway leading to the center of the map. The rest of it was covered in orange ink, as expected. Still, Bonnie had a frown on her face as she watched the Splatuplets celebrate.

"We won!" Kevin cheered. "Team Werewolf is gonna win for sure!" This only earned glares from the opposing team. None of the brothers commented on the matter.

"Well, it's only the first match," Inigo tried to assure his friends. "Maybe we'll win the next one?"

"And if we're lucky, Team Vampire will win the entire Splatfest," Bonnie added.

Roy gave a slight grumble before saying, "That defeat was still humiliating…"

"Well, we're done with you," Seven suddenly piped in, walking towards the exit of the room. "C'mon, boys, let's find someone else to beat."

"Yeah!" the other three inklings cheered, and they promptly left the room.

Seeing the other team's departure, everyone slumped onto the ground, awaiting their next challengers.

"Let's try to win the next one, then," Octavia chimed in. "I'm not letting that leave a black mark on me." Everyone else murmured in agreement. Hopefully, they would charge into the next battle with renewed courage.

_We're not gonna be pushed down this time!_


	20. Going in Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's known Inigo is a huge flirt, so the Rainbow Squids set up a blind date for him.

_Inigo's PoV_

"Hey! Penny!" Inigo called from within the hallways of West Inkopolis High School. Mornings were the perfect time to talk to other people, as no classes have started for the day.

A fair-skinned inkling with yellow-orange hair and green eyes stopped walking and turned around to look at him. "Hi," she simply greeted.

"Have you seen my heart anywhere?" he asked, a goofy smile on his face. He snapped his fingers and pointed towards her. "I heard it was stolen by you, love."

"Wha- I already have a boyfriend, Inigo!" she complained. "Your pick-up lines won't work on me!" With that, she turned around and walked away, head up high.

The indigo-haired boy simply lowered his hands and frowned. _I'm not surprised._ Looking up at the clock, he got another idea. He could try flirting again… but with a different girl. He still had time before his first class, after all. Looking around, he spotted another pretty-looking inkling with pale skin, cyan hair, and bright blue eyes coming down the hallway. Her name was Celia, a girl in Inigo's math class.

"Yo, Celia!" he proceeded to call. "Could ya come over here for a sec?"

She approached the inkling with a ponytail. "What do you need?" she asked.

"You know what I need?" A small blush crept up his face. "You."

Celia was unimpressed. "No, thanks." The long-haired inkling with cyan hair simply walked away, deflating Inigo's ego once more. He sighed and leaned up against the lockers.

"Let me guess, flirting didn't go so well," a familiar voice suddenly said.

He jumped, whipping his head around to see the newcomer. "Gah!" When he saw that it was just Roy, he let out a sigh of relief. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," he apologized.

"And, yeah… it didn't go so well."

A smirk crossed his friend's face. "Y'know, I got an idea."

"What, what is it?"

"You'll find out later." Winking, the red-haired inkling started walking backwards, towards one of his classes. "See you later.

"Umm… bye." He gave an awkward wave goodbye and started walking to his first class for the day.

Hours passed, and now Inigo arrived at his lunch table with the other Rainbow Squids. When he arrived at the table, they went silent and pulled out their phones. His indigo eyes dashed between them, confused on what was going on. _I hate being left out of the loop…_

"Hey guys… what's up?" he tried greeting.

"Oh, nothing much," Bonnie replied.

"But, Inigo," Octavia spoke up, lifting her head up from the cellphone. "Do you know what Coral Rings is?"

"It's a café in the Reef, right?" he asked to clarify.

"Yep," Yuri confirmed. "You don't mind going there after school, do you?"

"Why?"

"You'll see."

"Well, at what time?!" Inigo then asked.

"That's to be decided," Roy replied. "I'll tell you in history, alright?" he then added, giving a pat to his friend's back.

Still upset by the lack of communication, the inkling with the ponytail groaned and started to eat his lunch. The conversation quickly changed subjects, and no matter how much he wanted to bring up Coral Rings, he never found the right moment to do so. When the period ended, Inigo silently got up from his seat and started walking towards his next class. _I'm not being fresh right now, am I?_

Even later in history class, Roy and Inigo were working together on a group project. While he glued a typed paragraph Roy wrote onto the posterboard, the tan-skinned inkling nudged him, and he paused to see what he wanted.

"So, y'know the date we were talking about at lunch?" he started.

"A date?!" Inigo gasped. "You never anything about a date!"

"Well, that's why you're going to Coral Rings," Roy clarified.

"With who?!"

"That's a secret."

"Oh, so it's a blind date?"

"Yeah."

"So, what time am I going?"

"4 o'clock, sharp. Don't miss it!"

"Sounds like a plan."

More time passed, and Inigo now found himself standing outside of the café Coral Rings. It was a simple café, with a dark brown exterior and a yellowed sign reading the name of the place in bold letters. He opened the extravagant oak doors to see the interior of it. The floors were made of white tile, and the walls were green with lighter polka dots. On the right side of the place were tables made from oak, with seats with green cushions surrounding them. On the left side were the white marble counters, with stools resembling the normal chairs seated at them. Most of the people there were jellyfish, though there were other sea creatures present as well.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar wavy-haired inkling sitting at the counter. "Via!" he exclaimed.

She spun the stool around to face him. "Hey, Inigo." In her hand was a coffee mug, and she took a sip out of it. "I reserved the table over there for you and your date." She pointed to a table with a vase of flowers on the top of it. "She isn't here yet, so just wait for now, okay?"

"Alright…" He walked over to the aforementioned table and sat down, twiddling his thumbs. He started staring at the entrance, waiting for someone to step through it. He assumed it would be an inkling, but nothing was certain.

A few minutes later, another inkling walked through the doors. She appeared to be a little shorter than Via, with fair skin and short, deep violet hair. Initially, she had SV925 circle shades obscuring her eyes, but she took them off to reveal navy eyes. She wore a Squidmark LS, shorts, and sesame salt 270s. She chatted with Octavia briefly before walking up to the table Inigo was sitting at and taking a seat.

"Hi!" she greeted with a high, cheerful voice.

"Hi." Inigo gave a small wave. "So… you're my date?"

"Yeah!"

"So, uh… what's your name?"

"Fable."

"Mine's Inigo. Nice to meet you."

"I knew that, but nice to meet you, too!" They shook hands, and then they sunk back into their seats. A jellyfish walked over to them and plopped two menus on the table. The inkling with the ponytail picked one up and examined it.

"What are you gonna have?" he asked. "I'll take tea."

"Tea? Why not coffee?" Fable asked.

"I don't like coffee," he replied. "It's too bitter."

"Not if you add a lot of sugar!"

"Aren't you an avid coffee drinker," he muttered.

A sea anemone with an apron walked up to them and greeted, "Hello! May I start you off with a drink?"

"Tea, please," Inigo answered. "Just your normal blend."

"And I'll take coffee. _Black_ coffee," followed the purple-haired girl. "And make sure to bring a lot of sugar!"

"Alright." The sea anemone wrote their drinks down on a notepad and then shoved it into her apron pocket. "We'll get right on it!"

"Great." He watched her step behind the counter and give the notepad to a jellyfish. They poured coffee mix into a machine and activated it, the drink soon flowing out of it. While it was running, they then put a tea bag into another mug and prepared it. A few minutes later, they put the two mugs onto a tray and gave it to the waitress. She then walked over to Inigo and Fable and gave them their drinks.

Fable immediately tore several sugar packs and dumped them into the coffee before mixing and taking a large sip of it. "Delicious!"

Inigo took a much smaller sip. "Green tea?" he guessed. The sea anemone nodded.

"Are you ready to order?" she then asked.

"Oh, no," the indigo-haired inkling replied, shaking his head. "I was watching you make the drinks the entire time.

"Well, I'm ready," Fable commented, "but I'll wait until you're ready."

"Alright, I'll come back in a little while," concluded the sea anemone, and she walked away from their table.

Inigo returned his attention to his date. "So, what are you having?"

"I'm getting some bagels to go with this coffee. It's the perfect snack!"

"Hmm… then I'll get a biscuit. It goes perfectly with tea."

"Okay. While we wait… can you tell me one of your pick-up lines?"

"Pick-up lines? I don't have any lines, but I can pick _you_ up." He winked. When it came to romance, those seemed to be the one thing he was good at. He wasn't too crazy about Fable, though. Something about flirting with her just didn't feel right. He could easily go up to someone he was attracted to and say one of his signature lines, but with others, it just felt forced.

A goofy grin crossed her face. "That's wonderful! Can you do more?"

"More? Umm… I don't need more, because I have you?"

"Another one?"

He paused to think of one, and then he said, "I would traverse the deepest oceans for you, even if it kills me?" Considering that inklings die in water, it didn't make much sense, but it was still a valid pick-up line.

The sea anemone waitress walked up to their table again and asked, "Are you ready to order now?"

"Yes! I want some biscuits!" Inigo immediately responded.

"Buttered?" The inkling with the ponytail nodded. She turned to Fable and asked, "What about you, miss?"

"A bagel. _Seasoned,_ mind you," she requested.

"Alright, we'll get right on it." The waitress stuffed the notepad into her apron once more and returned to the kitchen.

"Seasoned bagels? I like mine plain," the indigo-haired inkling commented.

"Seasoned bagels are good!" the violet-haired inkling argued. "They add more flavor!"

"My point still stands." Inigo took another sip of his coffee and leaned back in his chair.

"So… are you a sailor?" Fable then asked after a few moments.

"My grandpa was," he replied. Inigo looked down at the blue sailor suit he was wearing. "He hunted salmonids back in the day."

"So, he did Salmon Runs? Cause I love those!"

"I guess… though it wasn't called that back then."

"What did he do with the golden eggs?" she asked.

"I think he destroyed them. Simple as that."

"Aw…"

"What?"

"The salmonids are _so_ cute! Destroying their eggs… it's like driving them to extinction!"

"Well, the past's the past. They're still here, and that's what matters."

"Umm… right!"

The sea anemone soon came back with a tray consisting of a bagel and some biscuits. She gave them to Fable and Inigo respectively and bowed. "Enjoy!"

"I've been waiting for this!" The short-haired inkling took a huge bite out of her bagel. "Mmm… So good!"

Inigo started to eat his biscuits, drinking his tea every-now-and-then. "So, how do you know Via?"

"Oh, we met last year. We were lab partners in chemistry class. You're in some kind of group with her, right?"

"Yeah, the Rainbow Squids! You see, all of us usually have a different ink color, like a rainbow." He was about to mention Geneva's absence when he found himself unable to form the words. He frowned, and more solemnly, he added, "Geneva's on vacation, though, so we're missing green right now. Via's sister Alexis is our replacement Geneva, but… it isn't the same without her."

"Geneva… Didn't you date her for a while?"

"Yeah. We got together a month or two before the Squid Sisters' final Splatfest, but we broke up at the beginning of the year." The memory of the break-up started to resurface in his mind, and he bit his lip. _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…_

"Aw. Well, you'll find someone else." Fable smiled. "Like me!"

"Sure…" Inigo ate another biscuit. _Yeah, this isn't gonna work out._ Mentioning Geneva dampened his mood, something that made him realized he hadn't quite moved on yet from the break-up. _Not now, at least._

The two finished their food and drinks and waited for the waitress to come buy again and bring them their bill. Quickly she did, gathering up the plates and handing them their bill.

The girl took it and read it. "2,000G? That's not bad."

"Not bad at all, for such a nice café."

"I'll pay," Fable announced. She took out 2,000G from her pocket at set it on the bill, and then she added a tip.

"That's that, then," Inigo concluded. "Shall we go?"

"Of course!"

The two inklings got up from their chairs and walked towards the entrance, where they found Octavia with a nauseous look on her face. The employees of Coral Rings said goodbye, but right now, their focus was on her.

"I think I drank too much coffee…" she groaned, gripping her stomach.

"Do you need a bag or something?" the violet-haired inkling asked. The wavy-haired inkling held up an empty paper bag.

"Can one of you take me home? Please?" Via begged.

"I will," Inigo offered.

"Thanks." She exited the building to walk to his car. The other two inklings followed her. Funnily enough, their cars were parked right next to each other.

As Octavia climbed into Inigo's car, Fable said, "I guess this is goodbye."

"I'll still see you in school, y'know," the indigo-haired inkling pointed out.

"I know," she acknowledged, "but we won't be alone."

He sighed. "True. We could hang out again some time."

"Alright. Bye!"

"Bye!"

The two climbed into their cars and drove away.


	21. Haunting Raps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the success of his rap song about Pearl, Perry makes another one about Halloween.

_Perry's PoV_

After school, Perry and Yuri hung out at the former's mansion. Currently, the purple-haired inkling was browsing SplatCloud, when he noticed the replay count on his rap regarding Pearl, fittingly titled, 'I Love Pearl'.

"Yuri, do ya see this?!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"See what?" he asked, getting up from Perry's bed and putting his phone away to look at the computer. His eyes widened after a few seconds. "A thousand views?!"

"I know! It's my most listened-to song now!" the pale-skinned inkling enthused. "We should make another one!" he suddenly suggested, hopping out of the chair he was sitting in. "One about Halloween. Since, y'know, it's tomorrow."

"It's Octavia's birthday, too," the dark-skinned inkling reminded his friend. "You did send that package to her house, right?"

"Of course I did! How would I forget?" As a birthday present, Perry squeezed out enough money to buy her the limited-edition milky Eminence set, something so costly that few people even own it.

Yuri simply nodded in approval. "So, whatcha gonna do now?"

"I'll go make that new rap," the purple-haired inkling deduced. "Getting a thousand views on 'I Love Pearl' is somethin' we should celebrate!" He pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, titling it, 'Halloween Song'. Now, he had to figure out the lyrics, including making them rhyme.

"Do you need help?" the dark-skinned inkling asked.

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'll call you when I'm done."

"Alright."

The next day, after school, Perry promptly called his friend to tell him the good news—he was done writing the lyrics of his new song.

"You're gonna let me mix it again, right?" the yellow-haired inkling eagerly asked.

A smile spread across Perry's face. "Of course!"

Roughly a half hour later, someone rang the doorbell, and soon, footsteps rushed up the stairs of the mansion. A knock came to Perry's bedroom door, and he let the newcomer, Yuri, inside. He had already pulled out the sound mixer for the spiky-haired boy to use, hooked up to his computer and everything.

Yuri sat in Perry's normal chair and asked, "Ready?"

Holding up a microphone and the paper with the lyrics on them, the pale-skinned inkling said, "Ready."

Pressing a button, the dark-skinned inkling soon gave a thumbs-up as trap music began to play. "This is a Halloween, / Also known as a Splatoween: / The day where you trick, / And eat 'til you're sick. / Treat yourself to some candy, / It's sure to make you feel dandy. / Or you can wear a mask, / Or other stuff to complete the task."

The beat started to pick up as he moved on to the bridge. "Feelin' queasy? / Take it easy. / If you're ready to go, / Go put on a show. / It's the night, / That gives you a fright!"

He paused, waiting for the beat to drop. Once it came, he continued singing. "Halloween! It's the most haunting day! / Splatoween! Celebrating in a festive way! / Halloween! For kids and adults alike! / Splatoween! When the ghouls like to strike! / You don't need to be scared, / I'm sure you'll be spared, / But just in case… / Keep up your pace!"

Now, it was time for the second verse. "What's wrong with werewolves? / They roam the woods, / And the cities and the towns, / Except the sacred grounds. / A vampire looks like us, / Why would you find them in the brush? / I know they won, / But werewolves are still the one."

The purple-haired inkling sang the bridge and chorus once again, where his words were followed by an instrumental. He saw Yuri mess around with the mixer, creating a more frightening sound to the music. Perry gave a thumbs up to his friend to show his approval.

When the music calmed down, he started singing the third and final verse. "When midnight draws near, / The kids will shed a tear, / But parties go through the night, / When the monsters take flight. / No matter who you are, / Prepare to face the bizarre. / It's Halloween, what did you expect? / It's Splatoween, go have fun. / If you object, / Consider yourself done."

Perry finished off the song by shouting, "Happy Halloween!", and then the music cut off abruptly. Yuri stopped recording, and the pale-skinned inkling dropped the microphone. He walked over to the computer.

"Good job!" the dark-skinned inkling complimented. "It's one of your best songs yet!"

"Thanks." He smiled and pressed a button to playback the recording. While the song played, he started humming along to it. _Yuri's right; this turned out great!_

After the recording finished once more, he said to his friend, "I'll take over from here."

"Glad you are," the yellow-haired boy commented. "I have to take my brother and sisters out trick-or-treating tonight."

"I wish I could trick-or-treat," Perry muttered. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a dusty gas mask. "Last year, I barely got any candy, just because I was only wearing a mask! Besides, I have to put the finishing touches on this and upload it."

"Aw…" He frowned. "Maybe we could go together next year? Just like when we were kids. We could buy costumes and run around the neighborhood getting as much candy as we can!"

"…Maybe. We'll see what happens."

"Well, I have to go now. Bye, Perry!"

"Bye, Yuri."

The dark-skinned inkling left the room, leaving Perry to work on his song, all by himself.


	22. Sugar Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eating a lot of candy from trick-or-treating has left Roy with a terrible bellyache.

_Roy's PoV_

" _Ugh…_ " Roy moaned, resting his hand on his belly. "I don't wanna go to school." The night before, Roy, Alexis, Bonnie, and Inigo had gone trick-or-treating together. Octavia was too busy admiring the new outfit she got for her birthday, Yuri took his siblings trick-or-treating, and Perry was busy working on his rap song. Obviously, Geneva couldn't come with them, so she was out of the question as well. Once it neared midnight, everyone went back home, and the red-haired inkling immediately dove into his stash of candy. The problem was, he ate a little too much and stayed up a little too late. Now, he felt sick and tired.

"Roy, get up," his mom demanded, tugging at his arm. "I'm not letting you skip school, and you're doing exactly that by lying in bed all day."

The red-haired inkling sat up and slumped over, groaning. His mother let go of his arm as he started walking towards the kitchen to make breakfast. Walking into the room, he saw his father, drinking a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper.

While he was preparing cereal, Roy's father looked up from the paper, pushing his glasses up the bridge of the nose. "Roy? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he growled. _I wish I could sleep in and not go to school._ The tanned inkling took the bowl of cereal with him to the table and set it down before starting to eat it. A grumpy look on his face, he ate in silence, minus the loud crunching.

"I think you're lying," the older inkling pointed out, stroking his thick beard. "You're acting a lot more… angry than you usually do."

" _Nothing's wrong,_ " he restated more firmly. Trying to ignore his stomach pain, he continued eating his cereal rather slowly. With no one saying another word, Roy threw the cereal bowl into the sink once he was done with it. Turning into his squid form, he started slithering back to his room. He half-expected one of his parents to notice, but neither of them said a word, instead watching in awkward silence as he advanced into his room.

Once he entered his bedroom, he transformed back into kid form and shut the door. He put on his usual shorts, a King jersey, and red hi-horses before exiting and finishing his morning routine, sans doing his hair. Without saying goodbye, he hopped into his car and drove to school.

When he walked into the high school, a few people immediately took notice of his sluggish attire and movements. The red-haired inkling didn't bother pushing his stray tentacle out of his face; it was like a sick day for him, except it wasn't.

"Roy, are you alright?"

"Roy, what's wrong?"

"Roy, you look tired."

"Can you shut up?" the tan-skinned inkling snapped at the group of freshmen following him, egging him with questions about his well-being. "I'm fine; there's nothing wrong." As he said that, a wave of nausea came over him, and he leaned against a group of lockers, uneasiness washing over his features.

"You should go to the nurse," one of the freshmen suggested. "You're not okay."

"Yeah, the baskfishball team doesn't want a sick player!" another one agreed.

"I don't have baskfishball practice today," Roy pointed out. "I have work after school."

"Still!" the second freshman argued. Ignoring her, he straightened again as the nausea faded and started walking to his first class. From then on, that group of freshmen were no longer following him, much to his relief.

As soon as he walked into his math class, he took his seat at his desk and turned into a squid. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would welcome him. He was almost successful when the first bell rang, snapping him back to attention. He transformed back, looking around frantically. Once he noticed the clock, he sighed and leaned back into his seat, wiping the drool off his face.

He didn't pay attention to the lesson at all. His longing for sleep was on his mind the entire time, and he swore he almost dozed off a few times. The teacher passed out a practice sheet, which was filled with graphing problems. He grumbled and shoved it into his math binder. He wasn't in the mood to do it now.

The rest of the morning went by in a tired, sick haze, with bouts of nausea every now-and-then. By the time lunch came, he simply sat down at the table without buying a lunch at all. He put his head down on the table and watched as his friends arrived.

"Um… Roy?" Inigo asked, tapping his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," he replied, annoyed. "People keep askin' me that today and I hate it."

"You aren't eating anything," Bonnie noted. "And I've heard you don't seem like yourself today."

"Did you eat too much candy last night?" Octavia teased. She was wearing her new Eminence cuff instead of her classic straw boater today. "Alexis did that, so she stayed home today."

 _Lucky_. "Well, I did get a lot of candy from trick-or-treating last night…" He shook his head. "Look, I'm tired, alright. That's it."

"C'mon, Roy, we know about your sweet tooth," Perry sneered.

The red-haired inkling remained silent, his eyes averting their gazes. He could confess why he was acting the way he did today… or he could not. _My friends know me so well…_ Roy wasn't sure how to feel about that. All he felt right now was embarrassment.

"You ate too much candy," Inigo deduced.

"Yeah," he found himself saying. "I did." He messed around with the tentacle covering his face.

"And your parents still made you go to school?" Yuri puzzled. Roy nodded in response. "That's… kind of sad."

"I know. I just want to sleep."

"Can't you take a nap after school?" Bonnie asked.

"I have work," he pointed out.

"Oh," the blue-haired inkling realized. "After work?"

"I have homework."

"You're not getting a break, huh?" she remarked, biting her lip.

"You should take a _long_ nap tomorrow after school," the fair-skinned boy suggested. "Gotta catch up on sleep somehow."

"That… won't make a difference," Roy deduced.

"So… you'll suffer?" Inigo concluded. The red-haired inkling nodded. "Yikes…"

"I can handle it." The boy straightened, clenching his teeth as another bout of nausea rushed through his body. "I can handle it."

* * *

By the time Roy arrived at Starfish Drinks to begin his shift, he was absolutely exhausted. He checked in, put on the uniform, and arrived behind the counter to start preparing coffee. He felt his entire body cry for sleep, but he knew he had to push through the day. _And then it'd be over_.

"Blacktip?" a familiar voice greeted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Molas, using the coffee machine next to him. "You look tired."

"I am," Roy confirmed. "It's been a long day."

"You go trick-or-treating?" He nodded. "That's nice. I wish I could still do that."

"Why don't you anymore?"

"I just lost the Halloween spirit one day. I haven't gotten it back since."

"I see." The inkling with his hair swept to the side took the filled cup out from the coffee machine and took the order ticket alongside it. Writing 'Saiman' on it, he walked over to the counter and called, "A coffee for Simon!"

An older male inkling with a shaved head came up to take the drink. When he read the name on it, he threw the coffee cup on the ground. "Seriously?! Saiman?! What is wrong with you people?"

"This guy again?" Molas exasperated. The inkling with the side ponytail walked up beside Roy and crossed his arms. Yellow eyes narrowed at Simon. "Seriously, why do you keep coming here?"

"This is the closest coffee shop to my house! And if I can't get a quality coffee cup with my name spelled correctly, then what gives?!" the older inkling ranted.

"You didn't even drink the coffee," Roy pointed out.

"My name, which is spelled S-I-M-O-N, is important, too!"

"Sorry about Blacktip here," Molas tried to apologize. "He's still a rookie. And a tired high school student."

"You spelled my name wrong last time I came here!" Simon argued, pointing a figure at the young adult inkling. "All you Starfish Drinks baristas are still the same—young, inexperienced, and stupid!"

"Woah, calm down," the inkling with the ponytail said.

The older inkling, arms outstretched, leaped at the two baristas. Both of them turned into squids to avoid being grabbed by him before quickly transforming back and running out of his reach.

"Security!" Molas called. "Help!"

"Yeah, help us!" Roy agreed.

Quickly, two police officers ran into the coffee shop and rushed towards Simon. They apprehended him, with the older inkling kicking his legs wildly in an effort to hurt them.

"It's those kids' fault," Simon growled. "They don't know what they're doing!"

"You're that upset over a misspelled name?" one of the officers deadpanned. "Starfish Drinks baristas do it all the time, it's nothing new."

"What's going on out here?" a voice suddenly boomed. Swinging his head around, Roy saw Miles Carp, who was standing in the doorway of the employees-only area. The door was wide open, and the inkling with white-tipped hair had his arms folded. His orange eyes scanned the coffee shop, and then he bellowed, "Who called security?"

Molas raised his hand. "I-I did." He grabbed his shoulder. "I had to, that guy was trying to attack us."

"Hmm…" Mr. Carp relaxed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he asked, "Is this the same guy that attacked you back in August?" Molas nodded. "I see. In that case…" His eyes shot like daggers at the police. "Take him away, cops. And he's forever blacklisted from this location."

"What?! You're agreeing with those kids?!" Simon exclaimed in disbelief. "They're so dumb! Why did you even hire them?"

Roy's lip drew into a snarl at the older inkling's words, but the inkling with the ponytail put a hand in front of him to stop him from attacking. "Don't," he whispered.

Without any other words, the older inkling was dragged away in handcuffs, screaming expletives at them. When he was gone, business resumed. Molas walked back to the counter and took some orders, while Roy went back to brewing drinks. He rubbed his eyes. The confrontation with Simon seemed to have waken him up somewhat, but he still felt tired. When he finished a frappuccino, he took the order slip and wrote 'Lehzie' on the cup.

He called for Lizzie, and a beige-skinned inkling Alexis's age came up to the counter. "You're not gonna yell at me, are you?" he asked as he handed the cup to her.

"No, I'm not crazy," Lizzie replied. "I just want my drink."

"Good." Roy smiled. "Good." Much to his relief, it looked like the rest of the day would go without any disturbances, just the way he liked it.


	23. Sisterly Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Alexis go to a museum at the former's insistence.

_Octavia's PoV_

"Alexis!" Octavia called, holding two tickets up in the air. "Guess where we're going?"

The younger inkling set down the book she was reading and looked up at her sister. "Where?"

"Shellendorf Institute!" she exclaimed.

"The museum?" Alexis groaned. "Can't we go to Wahoo World or something?"

"We go to Wahoo World every year!" the wavy-haired inkling protested. "Can't I choose the location for once?"

"Fine." She put down her book and put on the sandals next to her bed. Smiling, Via gestured for her sister to follow her, and the two ran down the stairs, out of the house, and into the car. Starting it up, she immediately began driving to the museum once Alexis was in the car.

About thirty minutes later, they arrived at a large, stone building with grand windows. The engraving above the entrance of it read 'Shellendorf Institute'. They parked in the parking lot and walked to it, tickets in hand. The tickets in question were won in a raffle at school, enough that "you and a friend can go visit the Shellendorf Institute!". Octavia had never been here before, so she was interested and signed up for the raffle. She was originally going to go with Bonnie here, but something came up for the blue-haired inkling, so Via had to find someone else to take. That person turned out to be Alexis.

"Tickets?" the shark at the gates requested. The two inklings showed him their tickets, and he tore off the top of them with his teeth. The grand gates opened up, allowing the sisters access to the museum. Giving the smaller tickets back to them, he said, "Go on in."

"Thanks," Octavia replied. They briefly toured the courtyard out in the front of Shellendorf Institute, with beautiful hedges adorning it. When they stepped into the museum proper, the wavy-haired inkling could not believe how much bigger it seemed from the inside. A monstrous skeleton was the main display, its grand bones hanging over the glass ceiling in the middle of the main room. Stairs were present on the sides of the room, leading to other areas of the museum. A huge smile crossed her face. She knew it was the oldest museum in Inkopolis, but she never imagined it to be _this_ big! On the other end of the museum was a gift shop. _We're going there after we tour every single bit of the museum!_

"Can we check out that skeleton first?" Alexis eagerly asked. "It's huge!"

"Sure," Via responded. She scanned the area for information pertaining to the skeleton. From what she could see, there was a display in the very middle of the museum, where there was a gap in the glass roof. "I bet we'll find something there," she deduced, pointing to it.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" the younger inkling remarked. "Let's go!" Grabbing her sister's hand, she ran towards the middle of Shellendorf Institute. On the way, they were yelled at for running, so they slowed down to a walking, yet quick, pace.

When they arrived at the display, the wavy-haired inkling was a little disappointed to see that its sides depicted a mural displaying inklings and a golden egg. However, the sprint to it was not totally in vain, as there was text on each side of the box, both of them explaining different artifacts.

"'One of the largest creatures of its time, the _Temnodontasaurus_ was a genus of ichthyosaurs—marine reptiles—from the early Jurassic period in Europe. It generally lived in deeper areas of the open ocean,'" Octavia read out loud. Below the text was a picture of a marine animal that reminded her of swordfish. She glanced up at the skeleton hanging above them. "Well, they were right about it being big."

"Not just big, it's _huge_!" Alexis added. "They aren't exaggerating when they said it was one of the largest creatures of its time!" The short-haired inkling then gasped and excitedly asked her, "Can we go see humans next?"

"Humans? Sure." Looking around for some signs, she soon saw one pointing towards an exhibit regarding the previous era. Tugging on her younger sister's hand, the two started walking towards the exhibit, and soon, they were met with several small cases displaying various artifacts. The majority of them were trapped in stone, though the main display was a large container displaying a human skeleton. One jellyfish in front of the case was imitating the pose it was doing.

"…Interesting," the younger inkling remarked. Alexis walked up to the text next to the human skeleton display and read, "'Humans, or _Homo sapiens_ , were the dominant species on Earth during the late Quaternary period. They, along with many other land-dwelling animals, went extinct as a result of the flooding of the Earth 12,000 years ago. Humans left behind their technology, allowing us sea creatures to evolve as far as we have today.'" Via walked up next to her to look at the reading. Below the text was a picture of two humans, one male, and one female.

"Sometimes I can't believe humans made all this technology," Octavia remarked. "I mean, their skulls are so small, so their brains are probably small, too, right?"

"Yeah, they seem pretty primitive from the looks of it," Alexis agreed.

"Oh! Have you seen that one scroll someone donated to the Museum d'Alfonsino?"

"The Museum d' _what_ now?"

"It was an art museum. Back when the Squid Sisters hosted the news, it was a stage we could play on. Y'know that tsunami that hit Inkopolis earlier this year? It got a direct hit from it, so it had to be closed down for repairs."

"Oh… They saved the stuff in there, right?"

"Oh, yeah. I don't know where they put it, though."

"So… what was on the scroll?"

"It was a picture of a fossilized human and some other things. The notes say it was doing some kind of ritual."

"That seems like history. Why was it donated to an art museum and not here?"

"Who knows?"

"Well, can we look at these human artifacts, now? I don't wanna stand here all day."

"Oh, alright."

The two sisters walked over to the smaller display cases and examined the objects inside. They did not look like anything special; they were simply gadgets humans could use. A lot of them, as expected, resembled devices the inklings use in the modern day.

Alexis tapped the glass case of one of them. "Ooh, a toaster," she commented.

"You wanna go somewhere else in here now?" Octavia later asked. "Like, the insect exhibit? Or that one display they have about DNA and music?"

"Wait, DNA and music?" the short-haired inkling suddenly chirped up. "How does that work?"

"We could go look," the wavy-haired inkling offered. She adjusted her hat while waiting for an answer.

"Alright." With a nod, the sisters walked back towards the middle area of the museum, walking up the ramp. Soon, they arrived at a large, black wall depicting three DNA strands. Next to each strand depicted a symbol with headphones and a smartphone on it. On the right side of the mural was a wall of text explaining them.

"'Music is an essential in inkling culture. It has been suggested that some songs have been carved into their DNA, granting powerful effects to those who listen to them. The most well-known song is the customary chorus of Calamari County, which began as a way to both celebrate and respect the bounty of the sea,'" Via started reading. "'To the left are samples of these songs, which can be played by scanning the QR codes with a smartphone. It is recommended to wear headphones, as inklings may start spontaneously dancing without them.'"

"'Spontaneously dancing'?" Alexis tried to suppress a laugh. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard!"

"I mean, you could resist the urge to dance," the wavy-haired inkling pointed out. "It can't be that hard… right?"

"Let's see…" She pulled out her phone and some earbuds. Plugging the earbuds into it, she scanned the code next to one of the DNA strands. A few moments later, a smile came across her face, and her eye began to twitch. "Oh… I really want to dance."

"Let me have a listen." Alexis gave one of the earbuds to Via, and quickly did she hear a familiar tune. She started tapping her foot to the beat. When it was over, the younger inkling put her phone back into the pocket. "Sounds like Calamari Inkantation," she commented.

"Calamari Inkantation?"

"Y'know… the Squid Sisters song. Very popular." She raised an eyebrow. "How have you never heard of it?"

"I don't watch TV, Via. How would I know?"

"Right…" Scratching the back of her head, Via then asked, "You wanna go look at the insects now?"

"Sure." Nodding, the two inklings started heading down the ramp to the right side of the museum, where, as expected, they found cases filled with a variety of insects. None of them were anything noteworthy.

"This is boring," Alexis remarked. "It's just bugs."

"Well, they can have a lot of history, like…" The wavy-haired inkling walked up to the display and looked into it. "…I don't know, actually."

"Exactly! So why are people interested in this?"

Octavia shrugged. "Eh. Maybe people just want to look at bugs."

"Let's move on," the short-haired inkling requested. "…What else is there to see?"

"There's the other parts of the museum, like artifacts from the Great Turf War, stuff related to salmonids, and ancient inkling history," the older inkling recalled. "What do you think about that?"

"Sounds kind of boring."

"Not even salmonids?"

"Salmon Run seems kind of shady, to be honest. I mean, you're stealing the eggs of a race just to be paid? That's low."

"Hey, it's fun! Maybe if I take you on one, you'll like it, too."

"Good luck convincing me." Alexis turned around and started walking towards another part of the museum, causing Octavia to run after her.

"Hey, wait up! Where are you going?!"

"Somewhere else. Maybe I'll find something interesting."

 _At least you're staying in the museum._ "But what if you get lost? Do you know how upset we'll be if we lose you?"

"Who's 'we'?"

"Mom, Dad, the other Rainbow Squids…" Via paused, frowning. "And me. I can't imagine life without you and your constant bickering."

"Funny you mention your friends." Her sister's orange eyes darted away from her. "They like ignoring me."

" _Ignoring_ you? What gave you that idea?"

"They care about each other more than me! Seriously, when the Great Zapfish went missing, you and your friends didn't even care. Don't you care about the future of the city? We could run out of power if we don't get it back!"

"Why do you care about the Great Zapfish so much? It'll come back by itself! That's what happened last time."

"And how long did that take?"

"I dunno… two or three months? It'll be three months since it disappeared the second time later this month, so it should come back soon."

"What if it doesn't? What would happen then?"

Octavia relaxed and started thinking. "…I don't know, actually. But I'm sure it's nothing we should worry about."

"Ugh! Just face it, Via, I'm never going to replace Geneva in the Rainbow Squids, aren't I?"

"I…"

"You'll just ditch me when she comes back." Alexis walked over to a bench and sat down, crossing her arms. "And I'll be lonely again. Because I'm not as good as her."

"Alexis…" The wavy-haired inkling sat down next to her sister and threw an arm around her shoulder. The younger inkling looked up at her, clearly upset. "Even when Geneva comes back…" She smiled. "You've become a true member of the Rainbow Squids. I don't think I can ever imagine us without you ever again."

"You really think that?"

"I do." The two hugged briefly before standing up. "Now, c'mon. Let's finish our trip."

"Alright."

The two resumed their tour of Shellendorf Institute, in hopes for a happy end to the day.


	24. Night Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the craziness that was his birthday, Yuri decides to wind down with a late-night Salmon Run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Grizz's dialogue is taken from Splatoon 2.

_Yuri's PoV_

Sighing, Yuri plopped onto his bed, twirling a new backwards cap around his finger. He took off his headphones and set it on his nightstand. After celebrating his birthday, he felt absolutely exhausted. He thought about going to sleep when suddenly, his phone chimed. The dark-skinned inkling picked it up to see a message from Bonnie, asking him if he wanted to do a Salmon Run on this November night.

 _I didn't even know it was open!_ He sent her a message replying yes, and he lifted himself off his bed and put on the backwards cap. As quietly as he could, he walked down the stairs and left his house, jumping into the car and driving off towards Grizzco Industries. When he parked, he immediately saw the inkling with the double bun, leaning against the wall next to the entrance and texting on her phone. The dim lights illuminated her head

"Bonnie!" Yuri called. The beige-skinned inkling snapped up from her phone and looked over at her approaching friend. She smiled and waved. "Ready for the Salmon Run?"

"Of course. I've been waiting for a while." Bonnie looked up at the sky. "It's getting pretty late. We should hurry."

"Right, right." The two inklings walked into the building and were met with the site of the familiar bear statue. Mr. Grizz said his normal greeting, followed by the spiky-haired inkling asking, "Can you send us on a shift?" An elevator soon popped up, and the two walked into it. It descended as the two stood in stifling darkness, and soon the floor of the elevated hissed open, revealing the grate. Yuri and Bonnie slipped into it, and soon, they were on a boat.

On it were two inklings, already in uniforms. One was a fair-skinned inkling with green, slicked-back hair and matching green eyes. Though he previously had a smirk on his face, he frowned upon seeing their arrival. The other inkling was familiar, having beige skin and purple eyes. Long hair the color of the ocean draped over her shoulders. Within an instant, he recognized her as the girl that wielded the Splat Dualies from the Flight vs. Invisibility Splatfest. Upon seeing Yuri, she turned her attention from her nails to the dark-skinned inkling and scoffed.

"Oh, splatling boy," she greeted coldly. "It's you."

"My name's Yuri," he corrected.

"Whatever." She resumed her attention to her nails.

"You know her?" Bonnie whispered to her friend.

"I battled against her once." He didn't feel like elaborating.

"Funny you say that," she noted. "I battled against that guy there during the last Splatfest," she then added, pointing to the green-haired inkling. Turning to him, the inkling with the double bun asked, "…Which one are you?"

"Devin," he replied. "Seven doesn't like Salmon Runs, so I sneak out in the middle of the night to do these."

"Mask guy. Alright..." Bonnie muttered.

"Are you part of a team?" Yuri then asked to the boy, who appeared younger than them. It was logical to assume so.

"Yeah, the Splatteruplets," he confirmed. "Y'know, because we're quadruplets… and we all use the Splattershot."

"Can you two just get dressed," the girl demanded. "We'll be there soon."

"Geez, alright," Yuri stated, annoyed. He and Bonnie did not say another word, not even to each other as they took the uniforms hanging on the clothesline and walked below deck towards the changing room. As Yuri dug through his pockets to take out his possessions for storage, he found something unexpected within them. _Huh?_

In the palm of his hand was a small coin made of bronze. In the middle of it was a hole, complete with a language he did not recognize engraved on its surface. It did not take him long to remember how he got it. When his siblings got home from school today, he decided to go play with them outside. As fate would have it, he dug up the coin and decided to keep it. Apparently, it did not take long for him to forget about it. He smiled and plopped the coin into the box laid out for him to put his stuff in.

Soon, Yuri arrived back on deck, with the other two inklings talking to each other. Devin appeared to be flustered, covering his mouth.

"For the last time, I'm not telling you how I got that!" he hissed at the purple-eyed inkling.

"…Got what?" Yuri interrupted, curious.

"He has this scar on his lip," the girl replied. "I just want to know where he got it from."

"C'mon!" Devin cried. He turned his back to them. "I'm not gonna even talk to you."

The spiky-haired inkling decided not to elaborate on the matter, respecting the boy's wishes. The girl, on the other hand, continued to prod him about his supposed scar, with him turning away each time. At one point, the yellow-eyed inkling caught a glance of a small line running through the fair-skinned inkling's lip. Curiosity started to egg its way into Yuri, though he didn't want to anger Devin any further.

Some time later, Bonnie arrived above deck and shouted, "What's going on here?"

The three inklings looked at her, and conversations ceased. The dark-skinned inkling gulped. Things were about to get serious.

"Uh… nothing!" the fair-skinned inkling lied. "Nothing at all!" He threw his hands out hysterically.

"Don't be silly," the purple-eyed girl snapped, pulling on Devin's ear. "You never answered my question."

"O-o-ow… You were harassing me about it!" he cried, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Knock it off, you two," Bonnie demanded. "We need to work together if we want to this Salmon Run to be successful."

"It's her fault!" the green-eyed inkling blamed, pointing at the other beige-skinned girl. He groaned. "This is gonna be the worst, I just know it."

"Can't we all be friends?" Yuri tried to compromise.

"No, we can't," the long-haired inkling replied bluntly. "Not everyone gets along."

"At least try to work together. Just this one time. Please…? For my birthday?" he begged.

"Wait, it's your birthday?" she realized, bewildered.

"Yeah, I'm 17 now."

" _17?!_ " Devin exclaimed. "That's so old!"

"It's not that old…" the inkling with the double bun murmured, putting a hand on her arm.

"Happy birthday, but it doesn't mean I'll be nice to you now," the purple-eyed girl warned.

Yuri looked over the deck, seeing the sky shift into a sunset. In the distance was an artificial island of some sort, with docks sprawling off of the central building. It was the Lost Outpost, and since it was abandoned, it was the perfect place for salmonids to gather. He tipped his hat and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked.

"We're already there?" the green-haired inkling asked. Everyone around him nodded. Without much question, they all changed their ink colors to hot pink. A few moments later, everyone launched away from the boat, towards the inside of the central building.

When Yuri reemerged from the puddle of ink present on the spawn point, he found himself holding a Jet Squelcher. _I guess this will do_. He started to fire it, covering the area inside the building. Devin and the girl with purple eyes started covering the area outside the building.

"The egg basket is ready and waiting," Mr. Grizz's voice echoed as an egg basket shot up through a ramp that was up against a wall. "Now go get me some golden eggs!"

A few seconds later, a foghorn sounded, followed by a scream. Running to the source, he learned two things. One, the tide was high. Two, and more importantly, the purple-eyed inkling had been swallowed by the waves, and now she washed up shore in a lifesaver. He quickly revived her, where she simply let out a huff in response. To their dismay, something tall began emerging from the water. The girl was knocked over as pots slammed into her, with Yuri pulling her out before she could splat again.

"Stupid Stinger…" she grumbled, holding down the trigger of the Mini Splatling she was holding. She rose to her feet, and a moment later, she let go of it, letting a fast stream of ink shoot towards the boss salmonid. Yuri started shooting at it to help her, and before it could shoot a beam of green ink, it exploded into three golden eggs.

"Over here!" the dark-skinned inkling called, snatching one of the golden eggs. As he pushed his way through the crowd of lesser salmonids, he and the girl managed to drop the ones they collected into the egg basket. However, as they tried going back to collect the third egg, a Scrapper appeared, blocking the exit. Some of the ink from the exhaust pipes squirted onto them, covering their uniforms in the harmful green goop.

As they shot it in order to break down its shield, footsteps started coming closer and closer, and Yuri whipped his head around to see who the newcomer was. Bristles down on the floor, Bonnie was wielding an Octobrush, and now she bolted towards them. She threw a golden egg into the basket and swung around the now-stunned Scrapper, flicking pink ink at its tail. It did not take long for the boss salmonid to splat, leaving behind more eggs for the group to collect.

Though Yuri picked up one of the golden eggs the Scrapper left behind, he peaked out of the doorway to look for the last golden egg from the Stinger. Near the edge of the water was a Snatcher, waddling towards safety as it carried something shiny. He pressed the trigger on his Jet Squelcher in an attempt to splat it, but it dove into the water before the bullets could reach it. Though he was a little disappointed that they were unable to get the final egg, another opportunity rose as a Drizzler leaped out of the water.

"Where's Devin?" Bonnie asked suddenly as the Drizzler landed.

It shot a green missile into the air, which the purple-eyed inkling started shooting as she replied, "I don't know."

"Should we look for him?" Yuri asked as he fired his Jet Squelcher at the overturned Drizzler. Though the torpedo did not end up firing back towards it, he managed to get a sustainable amount of damage on it before it hid itself under the umbrella again.

"I'm here…" moaned a voice. Turning around, the dark-skinned inkling saw a lifesaver inching towards them, a pink ghost bobbing within it. Barreling past him was a Steel Eel, facing them as it snapped its metal jaws. "That got me over there."

"Oh, for cod's sake." The purple-eyed girl pulled out a bomb and threw it towards him. Devin huddled towards it as it exploded, reviving him so he could join the fray. Immediately he swam towards the driver of the Steel Eel, shooting at it with the slow, yet powerful bullets the .96 Gal produced. The boss salmonid's machine soon collapsed, leaving behind some golden eggs at the end of it.

"Booyah!" the inkling with slicked-back hair cheered. He started tossing the eggs into the basket as the Drizzler flew overhead. Once it landed once more, it fired another missile into the sky. Before anyone could shoot it down, it exploded into a green cloud, raining down enemy ink.

"Quick! Splat it!" Bonnie demanded, running towards the squirming salmonid. Weapons started firing at the boss salmonid, and soon it splatted, leaving behind three golden eggs. The victory was short-lived as a green bomb landed next to them, starting to glow as it expanded. "…And now we run!"

Everyone leaped out of the way of the bomb, with Yuri landing on the ground on his belly. The explosion hit him directly in the back, the ink burning as he then submerged into the ink to heal. Some Smallfries started racing towards him, so he quickly reemerged to throw a bomb at the ground before hiding again. It exploded, ridding the area of Smallfries. Now, as he transformed back once more fully healed, he looked straight towards the front entrance. A Steelhead stood in the doorway, towering over the inklings as it charged up its bomb once more.

Another bomb was unleashed from the Steelhead, dotted with pink ink from the few shots the team managed to land. It launched in Yuri's direction, so before it could explode, he jumped out the open window towards the thin strip of land situated outside the building. Some Chums and Cohocks started lumbering to him upon his arrival, but Yuri simply started to fire his Jet Squelcher, hoping to eventually push through them.

As the dark-skinned inkling walked back to the central building entrance, he heard whirring overhead, followed by a more distant explosion. He stopped firing to look up at the Flyfish that had just arrived, hovering around for a little bit before opening its launchers to fire. He saw its bulging eyes glance down towards him, and a few seconds later, a green target marking him circled his feet. _Carp!_

The spiky-haired boy threw a bomb at the salmonids' feet and swam past them in attempt to avoid the missiles. However, as soon as he stepped into the central building, green glowing rings started hovering around him. As he heard the missiles come closer and closer, he used the last of his ink to throw a bomb towards the ground, allowing the Maws that lunged into the air to eat both him and the bomb. He screamed as the boss salmonid devoured him, though not long after it exploded into pink ink from the bomb it swallowed.

"Got splatted, huh?" he heard the purple-eyed inkling jest as he respawned. She was giggling, though a Scrapper quickly ran her over, splatting her as well. At this point, Yuri started to get nervous. The Flyfish was still out there, and now there was a Scrapper and a Steel Eel swarming the building. His eyes drifted up to a familiar figure floating into the air, a launcher in hand.

"Hold still!" Bonnie called as she piloted the Inkjet. She pulled the trigger, and a blob of pink ink sped towards him, reviving him on impact. That bullet was followed by another one, this time aimed towards the purple-eyed inkling's lifesaver. Almost immediately after she was revived, she began charging up the Mini Splatling.

"Take out the Steel Eel," Yuri advised. "That'll make things a lot easier."

"Don't you talk to me!" she snapped. She started firing at the Scrapper.

"Bu-"

"We need to survive, not golden eggs."

"Taking out the bosses would help us survive," the inkling with the double bun pointed out as she flew back to where she activated the Inkjet. The long-haired girl simply ignored her, continuing to fire at the Scrapper until its shield broke down. From there, she whipped around it to take it down. Quickly she did, as it exploded a few seconds later.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuri saw someone leap into the air, ink swirling around his fist. It was Devin, preparing a Splashdown as the Steel Eel and other lesser salmonids cornered him. He crashed to the ground in a vortex of ink, splatting all the salmonids around him. With that, everyone rushed to grab the golden eggs the boss salmonid left behind, and as they put them into the egg basket, more missiles came crashing down on the team. Bonnie received a direct hit from one, splatting her. The others were hurt as well, but they were now simply stuck in the ink.

"Oh no…!" the inkling with fair skin gasped. Suddenly, another round of missiles came crashing down on them, splatting them all.

"Ooh, crew wipe," Mr. Grizz commented over the radio. Once all four inklings respawned as lifesavers, they all super-jumped back to the boat in which they arrived on. "Let's see how many golden eggs ya got. 17? Not terrible."

" _Not terrible_?!" Devin cried as soon as they revived. "That is terrible!"

"Don't fret, Dev. At least we met the quota for this round," Yuri tried to reassure him.

"I dunno, we didn't get through the rest of the rounds," the girl with purple eyes pointed out.

"True," the dark-skinned inkling agreed, "but it's the fun that counts, right?"

"Right," Bonnie chimed, pumping a fist.

"No, it's the money that counts," the green-eyed inkling grumbled. "We won't get paid if we keep losing."

"Why not try another one, then?" Yuri suggested.

"It won't work out, not with her here at least." Scowling, he pointed at the long-haired inkling.

"What's wrong with me?!" she cried.

"You're selfish and intrusive!"

"Well, you're stubborn and incompetent!"

"What?! Am not!"

"Oh, yes you are!"

The two inklings continued arguing while Yuri and Bonnie hung to the wall, awkwardly watching them in silence. He sighed. Perhaps they should find another crew to work with. He inched towards the door leading below deck, his fingers wrapped around the handle.

"You leaving?" the blue-eyed inkling whispered to her friend. He nodded. "Mind if I come with you?"

"Oh, not at all," he replied. "I'd hate to leave you here with these guys, after all."

"Aw, thanks." Bonnie smiled.

"Oh! Can I show you something?"

"What?"

"You'll see." Yuri opened the door and stepped inside. "C'mon!"

Bonnie nodded, and she followed the dark-skinned inkling inside. Racing down to the storage room, the spiky-haired inkling excitedly pulled out the box that contained his belongings. Opening it, he saw the coin he had found, laying right next to his phone. With the beige-skinned inkling watching with curious eyes, he picked it up and threw a hand forward, balancing the bronze piece between his fingers.

"Ta-da!" he announced. "I found it earlier today."

"A coin?" she puzzled as her expression dropped. "Looks old."

"Yeah, I bet it is. Look at the writing on this thing!" He handed Bonnie the coin for her to inspect it.

Placing a hand on her chin, she nodded. "Mhm. Looks old alright."

"Ya think humans used it?"

"Yeah." She gave the coin back to him. "I do."

Yuri simply smiled and put the coin back into the box. "Well, I'm getting dressed now." He grabbed his clothes from the clothes rack near the entrance. "See you soon!"

"See you soon, Yuri," Bonnie's voice called as he walked farther and farther away from the room. "See you soon."


	25. Assault and Stomp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After multiple failures, Alexis is determined to finally defeat the octolings in their lair resembling Humpback Pump Track, and perhaps more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.
> 
> Much of Marie's and Sheldon's dialogue, as well as the mysterious voice's and Octostomp's dialogue, is taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

_I have to win this time!_ was Alexis's first thought when she entered the Octorian replica of Humpback Pump Track once more. Throughout the place were the echoes of octoling laughter and the dim hum of the containers containing the mini zapfish. Again and again, she got her butt kicked by them, especially by the dastardly elite octolings. Whenever she least expected it, one swung around the corner, bringing her down with her roller. She was getting sick of this happening over and over again. She clutched the Hero Dualies tightly. Today was the today; she could feel it.

Immediately upon her arrival, she dashed towards the first container she could find, taking out the Toxic Mist Sheldon oh-so-carefully warned about. Next, she saw one of the octolings leap into the air, preparing a vertical swing. She dodge-rolled out of the ginormous splash of magenta ink aimed towards her and shot at the soldier once she landed. Quickly, she splatted, allowing Agent 4 to proceed. She broke the container and snatched the mini zapfish inside.

"First one in the bag," commented Marie. The bronze-skinned inkling jumped down to the ramp below and started running towards the one at the end of the track, using the rolonium provided to paint a pale teal track for her to swim through. She kept a steady eye out for any enemy octolings, but she was surprised to see that no one jumped out at her. She shrugged and obtained the second mini zapfish. "Number two. Count it!"

Her moment of peace was short-lived as another wave of magenta ink came crashing down on her, breaking the Hero Suit. _Oh, no!_ She rolled over to the gusher behind the container she just opened and activated it, allowing a stream of ink to shoot into the air. She submerged in it, though she started to cough as the mist behind her activated. Emerging on top of the geyser, she turned around shot at the vial until it broke. With it out of the way, perhaps she would finally recover. The gusher ran dry, and she fell to the floor where the trigger was. At that moment, her suit repaired.

The octoling that had shattered it previously now climbed up onto the platform where the broken container stood, a diabolical smirk on her face. She swung her roller once more, the splash aimed directly towards Alexis. She rolled backwards and started shooting the Hero Dualies, inching closer and closer until the soldier splatted, leaving behind a puddle of her own ink. From there, she swam across the gap between her platform and the next, freeing the third mini zapfish.

"That's three. Let's gooo!" Marie cheered, clearly enthusiastic. Agent 4's collection of the third mini zapfish had triggered yet another vial of toxic mist, so she jumped down to the track below and kicked it, knocking it over and shattering it. She inked it just for good measure. She noticed ripples in the magenta ink sprawled out in front of her, racing towards her. Quickly, another octoling with a roller sprung from the ink and prepared a vertical swing. Alexis started shooting at her, the enemy ink grazing her shoulder as she rolled out of the way. She bit her tongue from the pain, but she knew she had to defeat this octoling, or else things would turn for the worse. The octoling took another swing at her, breaking the Hero Suit once more. The short-haired inkling let out a cry of disbelief and rolled towards her, finishing the soldier off with the bullets from the Hero Dualies. Letting out a sigh of relief, she immediately hid in the ink puddle.

"You should really find some armor," the idol suggested.

"Yeah," she muttered as she healed. "I should." _It would protect me against another hit_.

Once she was able-bodied, she inked a path and swam up to the container. Busting it open, she freed the fourth mini zapfish.

"Number four. Halfway there…" Marie muttered. At that moment, she noticed an orange box behind the cell. Breaking it, a suitcase came out, so she picked it up and instantly found herself wearing a helmet and covered in padding.

"Sweet, armor!" Alexis cheered. With newfound confidence, she rushed towards the bundle of rolonium on the track. She heard someone leap into the air, and from above, she saw another octoling super-jumping. To where, she was uncertain. She soon saw her disappeared behind the rolonium, sending a spike of anxiety throughout her body. She jumped to the side to see the octoling raise her weapon and crash it down on the bundle. It went flying, crashing into the container the bronze-skinned girl had just broken.

When the rolonium regenerated, Alexis decided to use it to her advantage. While the octoling dived behind it, she started shooting, the bundle soon rolling right over the octoling, leaving a trail of pale-colored ink to follow. She swam down the track to the next mini zapfish, where she promptly busted it open and freed it.

"Number five. Look alive!" Sheldon soon exclaimed. Alexis looked around, planning her next course of action. "You can take that gusher and grab another one," the horseshoe crab advised.

"But that's where the elite octoling is!" Agent 4 complained. "And there's probably other octolings protecting her, too. The Octarians are having calamari tonight if I go up there."

"Hmm..." Marie started, deep in thought. "Wearing down her forces wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Yeah! That's why we can't go up there now!" she agreed.

"Then you'll just to save the others first," Sheldon concluded.

"Right. Get to it, Agent 4!" the idol added.

"Right." The bronze-skinned inkling walked up to the edge of the ramp near the last container and looked down at the puddle of enemy ink below it. From there, another octoling leaped into the air and prepared yet another vertical swing. Alexis jumped down to the puddle and swung around the soldier, quickly splatting her. She pumped a fist and ran over to the box with yet another cell, where toxic mist was activated once again. Once again, she shot at it until it broke before climbing up on it and saving the sixth mini zapfish.

"Six. Getting close," Marie communicated. From where she was standing, she saw a zapfish container on the hill in the middle of Humpback Pump Track, shooting a beacon of light into the air. Alexis squinted her orange eyes, making out two additional vials of mist surrounding it. "There'll probably be a lot of octolings around there. Be ready."

"I saved the one in the center before, I can do it again," the short-haired inkling boasted, twirling the Hero Dualies around in her hand.

"Yeah, _once_ ," she pointed out.

"My point still stands." Walking up to the edge of the platform, she threw out an autobomb as a far as she could, hoping it would detect something. It landed on the base of the bare hill, where, to her dismay, proceeded to explode immediately. However, a few orange crates did pop up instead. Swimming closer, she broke them to reveal a canister of power eggs inside. She aptly collected them and threw out another autobomb, which landed near the container. It started waddling somewhere, followed by an octoling emerging from the pool of ink surrounding the container. Alarmed, she started swinging her weapon wildly in an attempt to destroy it, but it ended up blowing up in her face, splatting her.

"Booyah…!" Alexis whispered. _But I can't let my guard down yet._ Creeping her way up the hill, she listened for the sound of octolings. When she believed the coast was clear, she emerged from the ink trail she had created to break one of the two vials stationed on the top. Afterwards, she hid again, listening to her surroundings. Looking up in the air, she saw one of the octolings super-jumping, landing on the fence with a vertical swing of the roller. Unable to spot Agent 4, the soldier paused, lifting her weapon off the ground. The bronze-skinned inkling took this as her chance to catch her off guard and splat her quickly, so she emerged from the ink while the octoling's back was turned, splatting her with a few shots of the dualies.

The remaining vial had activated, causing toxic mist to swirl around it. Alexis pointed her guns at it, anticipating yet another octoling to jump out at her. Indeed, another one jumped next to it, complete with another swing. Alexis simply dodged the splash and focused her attention of shooting down the vial. Without it, it would make taking down this octoling a whole lot easier. She swung her roller once more, breaking the inkling's armor. A few moments later, however, the toxic mist vial broke, causing the magenta cloud to dissipate. Alexis dived into the pale teal ink nearby to refill her ink, and once she had done so, she popped back up from the ink and shot down the octoling.

She let out a sigh of relief, having survived the ordeal. She broke the electric cell, freeing the mini zapfish inside.

"OK, there's seven," Marie affirmed. "Just one more."

Clenching the Hero Dualies, Agent 4 looked up at the single beacon of light remaining, marking the final zapfish's location. She could faintly see the kelp on the elite octoling's head in the darkness, gently waving around as she stood on the enemy spawn point. With a nod, she swam down the trail she had come from and ran back up the track, towards an inkfurler near the enemy spawn. Not hearing any additional octolings, she shot the inkfurler to unroll it, giving her a strip of her own ink to climb up. She ran past one of the busted containers and activated the gusher next to it, climbing up to the next level.

From there, another octoling emerged from the magenta puddle of ink and prepared to attack. The bronze-skinned inkling threw an autobomb at her and started inking a trail away from her. She heard the bomb explode, followed by the cry of an octoling and smiled. Soon, yet another vial activated, and she broke it shortly afterwards. Spotting a small orange box, she ran down the ramp to break it, revealing another case of armor. She picked it up, granting her the protection she had previously lost again.

She felt some ink rain down on her helmet, so she looked up to find the unsettling smile of an octoling, lifting her roller up for another strike. She rolled out of the way and started shooting at her, cursing the short range of dualies under her breath. The octoling slammed down the weapon once more, jumping down to the same level as Alexis. The short-haired inkling rolled forward and shot her, splatting her. Nodding, she started to run up the ramp to the top level, where the elite octoling was waiting. Enemy ink brushed her back as another soldier swung her roller.

When Alexis looked over her shoulder, she only saw a trail of ink shooting up into the air. Looking back at the ramp, she was met with a wall of ink racing straight towards her, breaking her armor. She wiped the magenta ink off her face, seeing the elite octoling preparing a swing again. Agent 4 rolled backwards as the roller crashed down once more, bringing up another wave. She threw out a curling bomb, though the elite octoling simply jumped over it. It bounced off the wall and raced down the hill, causing both of them to trip upon contact. It exploded behind Alexis, and she growled in frustration. She ran up to the elite and punched her, knocking her shades off.

Now, an angry blue eye focused on her, the other obscured by her hair. She lifted her roller, preparing to strike. In the meanwhile, the agent was firing her Hero Dualies, the pale teal ink blotching the octoling's skin as more of it got on her. As she was bringing it down, Alexis managed to deal the final blow, splatting her. Without a master, the roller crashed on the ground, splashing some of the magenta ink onto the bronze-skinned girl, though it soon disappeared with the rest of the elite octoling's clothes. Only the shades remained, the red glow it once had now gone. Agent 4 put it away before advancing to the final container.

 _Finally_. On the highest point of the Humpback Pump Track was the final mini zapfish. She stared straight into its desperate eyes, lighting up with joy when it saw the agent. "You're safe now," Alexis muttered. Ignoring the toxic mist, she broke the container and hugged it, her eyes starting to water up from the joy and relief. She wiped away a tear and looked up at artificial sky. Transforming into a squid, she super-jumped back to the surface, with all the mini zapfish following her out.

When she emerged from the kettle, she heard a hissing sound in the distance. As happy as she was, she knew she had to fight the boss now. Alexis looked down at the eight mini zapfish circling her. She patted one on the head and told them that they were free. Nonetheless, they followed her onto the ride rail back down to the main area, where Marie was waiting, a smile on her face. The first thing the short-haired squid did upon seeing her was run up to her and give her a big hug, causing the idol to let out a small gasp of surprise.

"I finally did it, Marie! I did it…!" she exclaimed. "We won't be stuck here anymore!"

When she let go, the grey-haired inkling smiled awkwardly and gave the tearful agent a pat on the head. "Good job, Agent 4. I knew you could do it." She turned around to face the platform ahead. "But you still have to go into the boss kettle." She looked over her shoulder. "Now, go show 'em what us squids are made of!"

"Right!" Looking up at the grapplink up ahead, she pulled out the Hero Charger and fired a shot at it, launching her towards the next platform. She smashed the crates near the bulb of another ride rail before activating it, hopping on the rail afterwards. It circled around a grassy platform with two additional grapplinks surrounding it. She fired another shot at one of them, launching her straight onto the boss kettle. She switched out the charger for her preferred dualies and dove right into it.

"I could _really_ use some more data on the dualies," Sheldon requested as soon as she spawned into the misty dome. "I want you to use it for a bit here. Though, you usually use it, so that shouldn't be a problem!" Alexis simply nodded and started to stare into the distance. She was quick to note the urban flair it had, decorated with street signs and advertisements. Lining the arena was something akin to a road, and the main area itself had some paneling missing from the floor. Having turquoise ink this time, she stepped up to the launchpad in front of her and turned into her squid form, promptly launching into the arena.

As usual, a zapfish, trapped in its barrier, hung over the magenta pile of goop. A large tentacle with green scarring emerged from the ink, quickly breaking the barrier and curling its slimy arm around the startled zapfish. It disappeared into the puddle, and soon sparks began to fly from it. With a golden glow, a cubic object with large, glowing eyes began to reveal itself to the world, magenta ink pouring off it like sand.

Once it was revealed in its entirely, it bellowed, "I'm _baaaaaaaaack_!" The roar echoed throughout the chamber, off-putting Alexis as her ears began to bleed. Ringing followed once it faded, and now the boss's sights were set on squishing the inkling.

"Wait! I know this guy!" Marie realized. "It's Octostomp!" The first thing Octostomp did was slide towards her, butting into Alexis and launching her to the bottom ring. With her Hero Suit broken, she watched as it leaped into the air and landed on the edge of the arena face-down.

"Octostomp? But didn't Agent 3 take him down years ago?" Sheldon asked, confused.

 _Agent 3 beat this guy?_ Alexis thought, amazed. _I have to beat him! I can't let her down!_ From where she was standing, she saw Octostomp rise to his feet again, some ink dropping off of him. She covered her face to protect herself from the droplets. A little later, her Hero Suit repaired, making her ready for more. She inked the ramp leading up to the battlefield and climbed up it. In the corner of her eye, she saw the imprint of a face in the spot Octostomp fell on. She shrugged and threw a curling bomb out to the side to travel in.

"I guess he's back for more," Marie said. "You've got this, Agent 4!"

"How did Agent 3 beat him the first time?" the short-haired inkling asked, watching as the boss charged up to her. She rolled out of the way of his face-stomp, leaving him helpless on the floor.

"After he face-stomped, she inked his sides in order to get to the tentacle on his back," she replied. "So, you'll have to do that if you want to beat him."

"That's what I figured, but thanks for the advice!" While Octostomp was downed, she inked his side and climbed up it to be met with the large tentacle. She shot it until it burst, causing a stream of magenta ink to shoot straight into the air. She super-jumped to the edge of the arena to avoid any additional damage. The boss got up on his feet again, another tentacle soon popping out of the hole left behind. However, a silver, insulated coat soon appeared on him, leaving only his face exposed. A yellow buckle fastened it to his body.

"And I brought this sweet new coat!" Octostomp roared, causing the ink on the arena to dissipate. Alexis was left dumbfounded as a rotary cannon emerged from the top of the cube, sending a barrage of magenta ink raining down on her. She was trapped in the enemy ink, and soon the fire caused her Hero Suit to break once more, much to her dismay. She inked a path off the battlefield and slowly swam towards the outer ring. She leaned against the ramp, heavily breathing from the amount of effort she had to put in just to escape.

"Unthinkable…" Sheldon gasped. "His armor is completely uninkable!"

" _What?!_ " Agent 4 cried. How was she gonna beat him now?

"Gotta hand it to these Octarians," Marie remarked. "They sure do know how to go big."

"Oh, c'mon! We have to find a way to get the coat off of him," she snapped, annoyed. Her suit repaired, so she climbed back up to the arena, where Octostomp noticed her and began sliding towards her again. She dodge-rolled of out of the way, determined not to be launched again. The boss jumped up into the air and crashed down on the floor once more, his legs swinging wildly upon landing.

"I don't know if you _can_ ," Sheldon remarked.

"Maybe the coat will just fall off him eventually," Marie sneered.

"That's not helping!" Alexis complained. Octostomp's legs began to spin as he prepared to get on his feet again.

"Well, until we figure out a way to get that coat off of him, you're best dodging to the side when he tries to face-stomp you," the idol decided. "Stay alive, and you'll be fine." The boss lifted himself up and jumped to the edge opposite of the inkling. He took a few steps before before pulling out the cannon again, firing yet another barrage of ink. "Splatling attack! Dodge-roll!" she quickly called.

"Ah!" Alexis threw out another curling bomb and rolled past some of the bullets, diving into the trail her bomb left and swimming away. Octostomp put away the splatling and started running after her again, falling over in attempt to squish her once she got close enough. She rolled out of the way, though some of the ink splashed onto her hoodie. He got up again and tried to face-stomp her once more. She continued dodging. This repeated for quite some time.

Some time later, Octostomp finally managed to smush her, sending her flying off the arena. She landed at the edge of the ring, only being saved by the railing. She groaned, being both injured and exhausted. She watched as the boss launched himself once more, landing on the edge of the field. Though she knew he couldn't hurt her from here, she still felt defeated.

 _You can't beat him,_ a voice in her head taunted. _Agent 3 beat him, but you can't. You'll never be better than her_. She felt something wet roll down her cheek. _You're pathetic; you're not fresh at all._

"…Agent 4?" Marie muttered, concerned. Even when the Hero Suit repaired itself, she curled up into a ball, letting her sleeves be stained with tears from her failure. Her elation from earlier was no more. It had disappeared into nothingness, as easily as bosses clear ink from arenas with their roars. "Hmm…" The idol paused before speaking in a more cheerful tone. "Y'know, I don't get why he has a buckle on his nose. Does he think it looks cool or something? What do you think?"

"The buckle on his nose…?" Alexis murmured. A realization shot through her body, and she stood up, wiping the tears away. "I got it! I know how to get rid of the coat!" Contrary to its original purpose, the remark led her to getting an idea.

"What? How?" the grey-haired inkling asked.

"We shoot the buckle!" The bronze-skinned inkling climbed back up to the arena and charged towards Octostomp. She used the curling bombs to cover the floor in turquoise ink once more, as it had been covered in magenta as a result from the boss's face-stomps. His face was plastered all over the place, and now Alexis thought about covering them up.

Octostomp's bulging eyes shot out in alarm upon noticing Agent 4's return and began to run up to her. However, now she had a plan, she began to shoot the buckle as he got closer, covering it in turquoise. She dodge-rolled out of the way as he prepared to land. She used this time to ink the surrounding area. Once he got up again, the short-haired inkling resumed shooting the buckle. Eventually, it burst, destroying the coat and leaving Octostomp bare.

"Nice work!" Marie applauded. "You can ink his body now!"

"Booyah!" Alexis cheered, relieved she found a solution. She taunted the boss, spurring him into attacking her. He started sliding across the arena, though she simply rolled out of the way and started running to where he would land. Once he was stuck on the ground, she quickly inked his side and climbed up him to reach his exposed tentacle. She shot it until it exploded into a geyser of magenta ink, prompting her to super-jump away from him.

When the tentacle regenerated, he became armed with a more padded coat. He turned around, and two additional faces popped out from his sides. All three faces let out an even louder roar before, giving Alexis a headache and prolonged ringing in her ears. Immediately afterwards, the renewed boss began stomping towards her in the newly-cleaned arena. The additional faces made it harder to roll to the side, so she jumped off the edge and onto the outer edge.

" _GAAAAAAUGH!_ THIS DUDE JUST GREW TWO MORE FACES!" Marie screamed in her ear. The agent grunted from the pain her ears were receiving.

"Don't make me go deaf!" she protested.

"I'm sorry! It's just that he's terrifying now!" she explained. "But we have to focus if we want to defeat him."

"Right." She climbed back onto the arena after Octostomp landed, emerging next to one of his new faces. However, he was quick to get up, as a few moments later, he was back on his feet. He began running towards Alexis again, who was shooting at the buckle on his face. She was backing up towards the middle of the arena in order to have more space to evade his attacks. It seemed more resistant this time around, as it wasn't long until he tried to face-stomp her again. She simply dodge-rolled out of the way and waited for him to get back up.

The ink sprayed across the arena increased greatly once Octostomp jumped to his feet. He then jumped away from Alexis and pulled out the splatling once more. She tried her best to dodge them, though she soon found herself stuck in the magenta ink once more. _Not again!_ She threw out another curling bomb to get closer to him. Unfortunately, he put away the splatling and immediately fell over on his face, catching the short-haired inkling off-guard. She was flung across the arena as her suit broke once more. She landed near the edge, groaning as she looked up at Octostomp. Once again, he was sliding towards her. Alarmed, the short-haired inkling rolled off the stage and into the outer ring.

Once her Hero Suit repaired, she climbed back up, where the boss was waiting. He leaped into the air to crush her once more, but she dodge-rolled backwards to successfully evade his attack. He got up again and started walking towards her with heavy footsteps. Alexis took a few steps closer to shoot at Octostomp's buckle before he tried face-stomping once more. She jumped back down to the outer ring to avoid it, and now she was running along the track, trying to get farther away from him. She returned to the arena on the opposite side, just in time for Octostomp to resume a standing position.

Once again, Octostomp tried his sliding attack. Again, she threw a curling bomb to the side for a speedy escape. The boss was down again, though given a few moments, he was back up on his feet.

"He just won't quit, huh?" Marie commented.

"Yeah, that's for sure," Alexis agreed. She ran towards Octostomp as he started waddling towards her again, shooting the buckle. Soon, the final blow was dealt to it, and the coat burst, destroying his additional faces and revealing his body once more. He roared, upset. The inkling pumped a fist and swam away.

"That's it! Ink him up!" the idol cheered. Octostomp tried charging towards her once more, jumping as soon as he drew near Alexis. She dodge-rolled out of the way and inked the side of his body, climbing up him to reach the tentacle on top. She fired the Hero Dualies at it until it burst, sending out the final geyser of ink gushing out of Octostomp. She super-jumped away from him as watch as he tried to get up, though his efforts were in vain as he malfunctioned and blew up in an eruption of turquoise ink.

When his remains faded away, Alexis saw that the arena was covered in a blanket of her own ink. Power eggs flew towards her for his defeat, and the zapfish floated in the very center of it, unharmed. A single Sardinium was positioned in front of the container. She picked it up and broke the barrier, freeing the zapfish. She tackled it and grabbed it, squeezing it into a hug. With a huge grin on her face, she super-jumped out of the dome.

As soon as she popped out of the kettle, she heard Marie's voice speak over the headset. "Agent 4, I want to thank you again for all you've done so far."

"It's no problem. Anything to save the Great Zapfish," Alexis responded.

"About that… For me, it's not just about saving the Great Zapfish," the idol started, a ring of sadness to her voice. "Even more than that, I want to find my cousin Callie. She vanished on the same day as the Great Zapfish!"

"Yeah, I know," the short-haired inkling pointed out. "I know how much you miss her…" She sat down on the ledge of the grassy platform. "If my sister went missing, I'd try to find her, too."

"…So, anyway. I'm Agent 2 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, and Callie is Agent 1. Then there's Agent 3, who's currently out with our grandpa, Cap'n Cuttlefish. They won't be back for a while," she continued.

"Wait, the captain's your grandpa?!" Agent 4 exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah. It was him who recruited Callie, who in turn recruited me," Marie explained. "While the Cap'n was away, I was supposed to be protecting Inkopolis, but then… Callie… the Great Zapfish…" After she finished that sentence, she sighed. "Sorry I didn't tell you more about this sooner… We'd be totally sunk without you, Agent 4." More hopeful, she added, "I know we'll find Callie if we keep looking! Think you can see this thing through?"

"Yeah…" Alexis smiled. "I think I can."

"Great."

Suddenly, another voice interfered in the radio feed, the same voice from earlier transmissions. "Lea… No… _Leave now!_ "

"Huh? Who's there?" Marie demanded. "If you get in our way, Agent 4 will mess you up!"

"Yeah, so don't come back!" the younger inkling finished. After that, the mysterious voice did not speak again. The transmission ended, and Alexis heard something short out. She saw the barrier surrounding the launchpad to the next area break, granting her access to it. From there, she activated the ride rail next to her and road it down to another platform. She jumped off onto solid ground and looked over at the launchpad at the end of the platform.

"Callie and the Great Zapfish are somewhere up ahead, Agent 4," the idol informed.

"Before I go, I have a question," she said.

"Which is…?"

"Did Agent 3 fight Octostomp here, too?"

"No… she battled him in Octo Valley. Most of the Octarians were there until she beat DJ Octavio, in which they've moved here since."

"How do you get to Octo Valley?"

She sighed. "…You're thinking about going there, aren't you."

"Maybe."

"Look, if you do, I won't stop you, but you won't really find anything over there. It's practically abandoned, just like Inkopolis Plaza. …That's where the manhole leading there is, by the way."

"Alright, thanks." With her question answered, she walked over to the launchpad and turned into a squid, allowing her to shoot into the sky to her next destination.


	26. Reverse Engineering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Bonnie and Octavia discover that Alexis found a mysterious pair of shades, they offer for it to be looked at.

_Bonnie's PoV_

"So, Bonnie, what do you think?" Octavia asked, stepping out of her room wearing the full milky Eminence set. She flicked her longest tentacle behind her ear and put a hand on her hip, allowing her to present the outfit in its entirety.

"Oh, it looks good on you," Bonnie complimented. Even though it had been a week or two since Via's birthday, she was still surprised Perry managed to get it for her as a gift.

"Thanks." She grinned. "I'll be the freshest squid on the block in no time!"

"Right. Everyone will be jealous!"

"I know, I know!" Via tugged on her friend's hand. "C'mon, let's see what Alexis thinks."

"I think she'll like it too."

"I hope so!" The two ran to the young inkling's room and knocked on her bedroom door. "Alexis! Come see my brand new outfit!"

"OK." The door creaked open, revealing the short-haired inkling. She was fidgeting with some black shades. Her eyes glanced over her sister and then she sighed. "Oh. You're finally gonna wear the full thing?"

"Yeah, I think today will make for a good debut," Octavia replied. "…Though those shades look pretty fresh, too. Can I wear it?"

"No!" Alexis hissed. "They're dangerous!"

"How are they dangerous?" Bonnie chimed in. "They're just a pair of sunglasses."

"They're… uh…" She pressed a silver button on its frame, and a red glowing dot appeared on one side of the shades. "See? It just screams evil!"

"I'm not convinced," the blue-haired inkling said bluntly. "Where'd you get that, anyways?"

"I… found it on the ground! You see, I was out with my friends, and we just found this laying around. So, I took it, and I kept it," the short-haired inkling explained.

Upon her explanation, the beige-skinned inkling simply shrugged. _Seems reasonable._

"Do you know anything else about it?" Octavia asked.

"…No…" she murmured.

"We could ask someone if they know anything about it," Bonnie then suggested. "Like… the engineering teacher or his new assistant. One of them has to know something about this."

"Doesn't Marina of Off the Hook know tech stuff too?" the wavy-haired inkling brought up.

"Yeah, but you need money to go meet her in the studio," she rebutted.

"True…" Via admitted.

"Can't you guys ask Perry for money?" Alexis interjected.

"I doubt he'll say yes," the older sister pointed out, sighing.

"I mean, if _you_ want to ask him, go ahead," Bonnie added. "Besides, just going to a teacher is free."

"Alright, alright. I guess that's fair," the short-haired inkling admitted.

"Then…" Octavia smiled, pounding a fist into her hand. "I guess you know the plan."

"Should we tell the others?" the girl with the double bun asked, taking a moment to clean her glasses in the process.

"No!" Alexis burst out. "They shouldn't know about this."

"We're bringing it into school," Via argued. "People are gonna see those shades either way. Besides, I kinda want to tell them about this."

"Not if we stuff into a backpack!" the younger inkling insisted.

"Wouldn't they break?" Bonnie commented.

"Then… we'll just put it into a case," she corrected. "There! Problem solved!"

The wavy-haired inkling reached out to grab the shades out of her sister's hand, but the latter simply recoiled, taking a few steps backwards.

"You're not giving that up, huh?" Octavia teased. "You really think it's that dangerous." Alexis nodded furiously. "Well… keep it." Her orange eyes glanced over towards Bonnie's before returning her attention towards her sister. "We'll meet up with Bon-Bon tomorrow, then."

"…OK…" Alexis muttered.

The next day, Bonnie entered West Inkopolis High School to see the two orange-haired sisters, standing right by the entrance. Arms folded, Octavia had a smirk on her face, while Alexis looked off to the side nervously, fidgeting with her thumbs. When the former saw the blue-haired inkling, her mouth eased into a smile, and her arms fell to her sides.

"Bonnie! You're here!" she greeted. She jumped to her side, the footsteps of her new milky enperrials clacking against the tile floor. Though Bonnie's were a different color, the friends' shoes were identical. "Ready to go check out those shades?"

"Yeah." Her eyes glanced over to the younger inkling. "…You did bring them, right." She nodded. "Fresh."

The trio started navigating the vast hallways in the building. As usual, they were crowded with students, so they had to push through them in order to get to their destination. The room containing engineering class was appropriately labeled as such, with a graphic reading 'Engineering' proudly plastering above the doorframe. The door itself was already opened, so they simply took a few steps inside.

At the teacher's desk, an old inkling with faded red hair styled into a ponytail was toying around with some wires. His blue gaze was steady and unmoving as his hands, covered by fingerless gloves made of leather, connected them together to some machine parts. Footsteps could be heard from the other end of the room, and soon, a funny-looking inkling with short blue hair, exposing rounded ears, emerged, carrying an open box. The white apron she wore was stained with grease. Soon, she stopped, and her red eyes, covered by pilot goggles, drifted over to look at the newcomers.

"Sir! You have some visitors!" the woman called.

The old man looked up from his desk, his thick eyebrows raising in curiosity. "Hmm… I don't think you young ladies are my students. But, come on in, won't you? Make yourself at home."

The trio sat down on some stools as the blue-haired lady set the box on his desk. The elder teacher pushed the mass of wires aside, leaving a clear space.

"Mr. Fangtooth, we came here to ask a question," Bonnie soon spoke up after a moment of silence. "It's about something we found."

Via elbowed her terrified sister, and after a gasp, she quickly unzipped her backpack and pulled out a case. She opened it to reveal the pair of shades. Mr. Fangtooth's assistant's eyes widened upon seeing them, but regardless, she snatched the glasses out of the case and brought them over to the old man.

"Thank you, Miss Grim," he said as soon as she gave them to him, pushing spectacles up the bridge of his nose. He inspected the glasses before pressing one of the buttons on the side. The red dot on the left side of it lit up, casting a glow onto his pale face. Pressing another button, more colors began sliding across his face. He pressed the silver buttons again to turn it off. "Interesting."

"Do you know what it is?" Octavia asked.

"No," Mr. Fangtooth replied.

"Personally, I think it is Octarian technology," Miss Grim chimed in.

"Octarian technology?!" the wavy-haired inkling cried. "Why would you say that?" Though the inkling with the double bun was not too keen on the suggestion, it would make sense. She recalled reading in the history textbooks about the Great Octoweapons, used during the Great Turf War. They posed a great threat to inklings at the time, but luckily, they were stopped, and the inklings won the war.

"Well, well, Miss Grim. You might be right. It's been a proven fact that the Octarians have made several advancements inkling society hasn't," the old man explained. "For example, the propeller lifts found in Ancho-V Games originated from the Octarians." He held up a finger. "And, some other inventions have found their way into other stages today, like the ink rails that were recently installed in Moray Towers."

"There has been an increase in Octarian technology in Inkopolis lately," the funny-looking inkling added. "Specifically, in the past two years."

"Hmm… but still, why do you think the shades are Octarian tech?" Octavia continued to prod.

"I don't think there's any technology similar to this that's this compressed," the old man responded. "It's the only logical explanation we have."

"Also… where did you find this?" Miss Grim then added.

"I…" Alexis muttered.

"My sister found it on the ground," her older sister finished for her. "Where exactly? I don't know."

_She's been acting strange about this whole thing, too_ , Bonnie wanted to add. Yet, she remained silent. She opened her mouth to speak, but then she faltered and gazed down at her feet. She couldn't understand why Alexis was so anxious. Usually, she was such a cheerful girl, always eager to have a battle. Right now, she remained silent for the most part, barely speaking.

"Well, if anything, we'll take it apart for you," he offered. "You'll have to come back tomorrow, though."

"That's fine," Via agreed.

"I've been wondering what's in it, anyways," the beige-skinned inkling added. She looked over at the short-haired inkling. "What about you?"

"Go ahead," she muttered.

"Thank you for your consent," the blue-haired woman then said, bowing.

"Alright." He smiled. "You're welcome to stay until the bell rings."

"I think we'll be on our way," Bonnie decided. They got up from their stools and started walking towards the exit. "See you tomorrow."

The following morning, the three inklings walked back into the engineering classroom to see the parts of the disassembled shades sprawled out on the desk. From the entrance point, Bonnie could see no one. Getting further into the room, she saw Mr. Fangtooth and Miss Grim helping two lobsters, one of which she recognized from when she helped out with Mr. Nema's chemistry class. They appeared to be working on a project.

"Mr. Fangtooth? Miss Grim?" Octavia called. "We're back."

The duo looked over at them and waved. "Ah, hello, young ladies!" the old man greeted. "Are you here about the shades you gave me yesterday?" The three nodded. "Well, right this way." The man with a red ponytail started walking over to his desk. "Make sure they're alright," he commanded the funny-looking inkling.

"Yes, sir," she complied, and she resumed her focus on the lobsters' project.

Mr. Fangtooth sat down in his chair and gestured towards the parts. "This is all the technology compressed into those little pair of glasses." He picked up one microchip and noted, "This one contains the data for the lights on the lens." He set it down and picked up a small, thin circuit board. "And this one gives functionality to the buttons, therefore controlling the lights." Setting down that piece of machinery, he put his knobby elbows on the table and clasped his hands, adding, "I also discovered that pressing the button multiple times will display different patterns."

"Anything else?" Bonnie asked.

"After we only had the frame to work with, Miss Grim tried it on. It fit her perfectly!" The teacher put a hand on his change. "Which is strange. I theorize that these were made for octolings."

" _Octolings?!_ This just gets stranger by the minute," the wavy-haired inkling blurted out.

"I mean… you did say it was Octarian tech, so…" the girl with the double bun recalled. The assumption of the shades being made for octolings wasn't too far-fetched.

"There is one thing neither of us could figure out, though," he continued. He picked up another microchip with a tiny red light on the corner of it. "It must have a purpose, but what could it be?"

"A tracking device?" Bonnie suggested.

"Or maybe it's… an evil thing!" Octavia followed.

"Whatever it is, it'll remain a mystery forever," he finished.

"Ahem."

Looking towards the entranceway, a girl with fair skin and thick dark hair was standing in the middle of it. She was wearing the shades Alexis had found, though kelp was protruding from the ends of the frame. She wore a black vest and fingerless gloves ending at her elbows, fashioned with a metal plate on her chest and two black belts wrapping around her waist. A white sticker was stuck onto the plate, marking her as a visitor. She wore black boots with silver heels as well. Her arms were crossed, and she was frowning.

"…I'm guessing that's an octoling," the blue-haired inkling whispered to her friend. Looking over at the younger inkling, she noticed that she had tensed, with beads of sweat dripping down her forehead.

It took a moment for Via to register what she had said, but then she screamed, " _Aah!_ An octoling!" Bonnie glanced over to the other end of the room, where the other people inside had snapped up their heads to watch the scene.

The newcomer studded over to the teacher's desk, taking a lollipop from the mug on it and sticking it into her mouth. Coldly, she said, "So, this is the where her shades go." _I was right?_ the blue-haired inkling marveled. _That was a tracking device?_

"Oh? Could you explain, deary?" Mr. Fangtooth asked.

"A time in the past, the inkling has break into a base octolings would be at," she started to explain. "She steal the shades of our elite. We think that we track her to stop her through her shades. It lead me to here."

"Wait a sec, my sister found these shades on the ground somewhere," the wavy-haired inkling snapped, throwing an arm out in front of Alexis. "There's no way she could break into an Octarian dome, much less an octoling dome. She's literally C- rank! The squid you're looking for probably dropped them."

"Are you the surest?" the octoling hissed. "She match the description of report—shortest of hair, orange eyes, and skin the bronze color."

"Nah, it's probably a lookalike," Bonnie dismissed.

"Hmph. I would have the splat of you if the people in front did not take my weapon from me," she grumbled, leaning towards Alexis.

"So… you want this back?" the old man offered.

"No." However, she swiped the microchip with the light on it out of the teacher's hand and clenched it tightly within her fist. Then, she took the lollipop out of her mouth, threw it into the trash, and stomped out of the room, leaving the group to their lonesome. She slammed the door behind her, starling the beige-skinned inkling.

Via put a hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "That was terrifying. I thought she was gonna hurt us!"

"Well, I'm glad she didn't," Bonnie remarked. She was going to have nightmares of that octoling trying to splat her, she reckoned.

"…Alexis?" the older sister mumbled. Looking over at the young inkling, she was still paralyzed, refusing to move an inch. "Are you okay?"

After a brief moment of silence, Alexis relaxed and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." She started heading towards the door and soon put a hand on the handle, twisting it to push it open.

"You sure?" Bonnie added. "You don't seem fine."

"I said I'm fine!" she snapped, walking out of the room.

"Alexis! Wait!" Via called, running after her.

The girl with the double bun shrugged and looked over at Mr. Fangtooth. "That's normal," she stated. "I guess I should catch up with them."

"Alright. Have a nice day," he said.

"You too." Bonnie left the engineering room, the encounter with the octoling still fresh in her mind. _What if she comes back? I can't let any of my friends get hurt…_


	27. A Twisted Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finishing a fantasy book, Inigo goes to battle in the Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy Splatfest, fittingly being in Team Fantasy.

_Inigo's PoV_

The ending of the book, _Twisting Reality_ , a love story between two inkling wizards, was one that left a smile of Inigo's face. Gently, he closed the cover and shelved it away. Now, it was time to participate in the Splatfest. He would be a little belated, but he hoped his friends wouldn't have started battling without him. He slipped his silver shoes on and raced out of his house, running down the streets towards Inkopolis Square.

By the time he arrived, he spotted his friends walking towards the Deca Tower. "Guys! Wait!" he shouted, trying to grab their attention.

"Inigo?!" Roy exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. Bonnie bumped into him, making the two of them falter. They apologized to each other before returning their attention to the inkling with the ponytail. "You're late!" he scolded.

"Sorry, I was finishing a book," he atoned, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, what book?" Bon-Bon asked.

" _Twisting Reality_. You see, it's about two wizards who—"

"Oh, I've heard of that one! A friend in language class recommended it to me, but I haven't read it yet. Is it good?"

"Oh, yeah, it's super fresh! I loved it!"

"Sorry to rain on the nerd parade, but we're here to battle," Perry interrupted. His purple eyes glanced over at Inigo's t-shirt. "Sweet, we're both on Team Fantasy!" The two fist-bumped and smiled.

"And, get this, Inigo," Alexis added. "Via and I are on the same team for once!" Excitedly, she pointed back-and-forth at the blue t-shirts she and her sister were wearing. "Team Sci-Fi!"

"I'm also on their team," the inkling with the double bun commented. "I like fantasy, but I like sci-fi, just a _little_ more."

"So… it turned into boys vs. girls?" the indigo-eyed inkling asked, eyeing everyone else's shirts. Roy and Yuri were both wearing the lime tees that marked them as part of Team Fantasy.

"I guess." Bonnie simply shrugged at the question.

"Well, I guess we're ready," Yuri announced. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" The Rainbow Squids made their way into the Deca Tower and walked over to the control panel leading to the room storing their weapons. After a few inputs, the paneling near it slid open, revealing the stairs that led down to the storage room. Everyone dashed down there, grabbed their weapons, and dashed back up, the floor closing once more as soon as Perry got to the top of the stairs. Inigo threw his Carbon Roller over his shoulders and started following Roy towards one of the elevators.

The boys rested inside, waiting for someone to arrive. About a minute later, some inklings wearing lime tees walked into the elevator. One of them, a short-haired inkling with fair skin and SV925 circle shades covering her eyes gasped upon seeing who the group was up again.

"Inigo!" exclaimed Fable. "You're on Team Fantasy, too?"

"…Yeah, I like it more," he responded. "Everything seems so much better in a fantasy world." The inklings that had followed Fable inside started mumbling in agreement.

"Ya know her?" Perry asked, sitting on his Sloshing Machine.

The inkling with the ponytail nodded. "Via set us up on a date one time."

"Oh? Where?" Yuri asked.

"Coral Rings!" Fable replied.

"That's in the Reef, right?" the purple-eyed inkling asked for clarification.

"Right," Inigo confirmed.

The elevator door closed behind them, and he heard it start to descend. Roy simply leaned against the wall, holding his Luna Blaster in one hand. Yuri and Perry were having idle chat, while Inigo remained silent. Fable had moved up next to him, their arms touching, making him feel a little uncomfortable. _Please, let the grate open up soon…_

"Hey, did you squids hear about the octoling that came into school a couple days ago?" a feminine voice soon piped up. Looking over at the speaker, he saw a girl with skin the color of coffee. She styled her hair into a double bun and had lime eyes that matched the t-shirt. Alongside the Splatfest tee, she wore a black FishFry bandana and athletic arrows. She wielded a Range Blaster.

"Which one?" another girl with sand-colored skin asked. She wielded a Bamboozler 14 Mk I. "East, Central, or West? There's three high schools in Inkopolis."

"West Inkopolis High School," the first girl clarified. "The story goes that two juniors and a freshman brought some shades to the engineering teacher. As they were talking about it, an octoling suddenly appeared and accused one of them of infiltrating an Octarian base. They denied it, and the octoling threatened to splat them."

" _Splat_ them?!" Roy suddenly cried out in disbelief, and then his expression turned to anger. "I can't believe it! Why, if they were my friends being threatened, I would have splatted that octopus right where they stand!"

"Are you sure that was an octoling?" Inigo then inquired.

"Oh, I'm sure. Witness reports say that she outright said she was an octoling," she answered. "So, afterwards, the octoling got angry she didn't have a weapon and just left. Everyone near where it happened thought it was scary—and that she looked scary, too."

"Geez," a male voice then sneered. Looking over at the corner of the room, a pale-skinned inkling with a buzzcut and the Tenta Brella was standing with the tip of the canopy touching the floor. He adjusted the 18K Aviators he wore on his face before saying, "West Inkopolis High School must have poor security."

"And where do _you_ go?" Roy sassed.

"Uh… East Inkopolis High School," he replied. "Why?"

"Oh, just checking. Maybe they have bad security, too."

" _Yooo!_ " his friends cheered at his comeback.

"Alright, ya got me," the inkling with the buzzcut said. "That was a good roast."

A few moments later, the floor below than began to slide open, revealing the grate. Quickly was it ready for the squids to slip inside it and travel to their battlegrounds. _I wonder where we'll go today._ He hoped to see the new Shifty Station, but he wouldn't mind battling on a familiar stage, too. When he spawned into the stage, he found the spawn point resting on top of some pavement, complete with road markings and tactile pads. A highway and some buildings circled around the stage. Inigo smiled. This was the Shifty Station.

Almost immediately, his team began firing their weapons. He was momentarily confused when his Carbon Roller laid down a path of orange ink instead of lime green ink, but then he remembered he was fighting other members of Team Fantasy. Nonetheless, he started running down the ramp, towards the central area. Immediately, he spotted an orange sponge, so he started swinging his roller up and down to enlarge it. He climbed up to the top of it and hid, but then the sponge suddenly shrunk, revealing his squid form as he fell to compensate for the shrinkage. A beam of indigo ink shot straight towards him, knocking him off the sponge.

"Your name's Inigo, right?" asked the girl with the Bamboozler. She walked up to him and pointed the beam straight at his chest. "Kinda ironic the other team's color is indigo. Since your name sounds like the color and all."

"Well, I won't be splatted by my color today." He brought up the lightweight roller and crashed it down onto the inkling, splatting her. The resulting explosion inflated the sponge ever-so-slightly, so he let it absorb more of his team's ink by hitting it with his weapon more. Once it obtained its full size, he started running around, trying to find the source of a newly-activated inkrail. Once he found the starting bulb, he hopped into it and swam up to the central platform, a metal box with glass paneling on the sides. There, he hid once more.

The inkling with the ponytail had to flee once indigo targets began marking him. He leaped off of the box as missiles came crashing down on it. Some of the resulting ink had splattered onto his back, but he quickly shook it off as he continued inking turf.

Perry was hurling vortexes of ink from his Sloshing Machine. "If they got Tenta Missiles that fast, then we better hurry up," he commented as Inigo passed the sponge he stood on. The pale-skinned boy's purple eyes scanned the area. "Hmm…" He threw an autobomb to the ground, where it simply exploded. He shook his head. "Move on, Inigo. Nothin's here."

"Then it's time to push onwards," suggested a new voice. He looked over his shoulder to see Yuri emerging from the ink. He started charging up his Heavy Splatling Deco, walking towards the enemy side, where indigo sponges resided. Inigo decided to ink a path for him to walk through while he was charging, and moments later, the spiky-haired inkling began firing the splatling. Suddenly, the boy with the Tenta Brella emerged and put up the durable canopy. The inkling with the ponytail made a path around him in case Yuri's splatling failed. A few seconds later, the splatling stopped firing, and the canopy launched, allowing the enemy to slip away. However, Inigo was waiting right for him, and he brought up his Carbon Roller to allow for a satisfying splat. The two friends gave each other a fist bump and started to venture deep into the enemy territory.

Soon enough, bullets started raining down on them. The two split directions, trying to dodge them. However, Inigo soon heard the dark-skinned boy scream, giving him the audial cue that he had been taken down. He cursed under his breath and started swimming back towards his side of the map. When he was surrounded by orange sponges again, he emerged from the ink and held out his roller like a sword.

"Hey, Inigo!" Fable called, emerging from an indigo path that had followed him. She started charging up a Mini Splatling. "Having fun?"

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered, throwing out an autobomb as he backed up against a wall he presumed to be uninkable. The short-haired inkling let go of the trigger, firing a barrage of small bullets at him. In a panic, Inigo pulled out a packed canister containing Ink Storm and threw it towards the ground, sending a cloud of orange ink up into the air. A little later, Fable managed to splat him, but the bomb exploded soon after, splatting her as well. In the meantime, Ink Storm rained down orange droplets onto the land, expanding the orange sponges and shrinking the indigo ones.

When Inigo respawned, he decided to go a different way this time. Running to the left side inside of the right, he pumped up the sponge nearest to spawn and climbed up on it, surveying the turf at its current state. He noticed Roy and the girl with the Rapid Blaster battling it out down below, near one of the inkrails. The girl placed something near the ink rail and swam off towards the tower on her side of the map. The inkling with hair swept to the side activated his special, forming a ball around him, and ran towards her. The mine she placed down exploded as soon as the Baller came in contact with it, launching him forward and placing a black marker around him. With that, Inigo decided to super-jump to his friend.

When he landed, the Baller inksploded, creating massive puddle of orange ink surrounding them. The girl he had been fighting got caught in the edges of the explosion, injuring her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the fair-skinned boy swooped in with his roller to finish the job.

"And that's teamwork for you," Inigo declared, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

"A pretty fresh combo, too," a new voice added. Perry walked up to them, Sloshing Machine in hand. "Baller-to-Carbon, that's what I'll call it."

"As fresh as that was, we gotta ink more turf," Roy then directed. "That battle just distracted me from doing so."

Some indigo markers appeared around the three inklings. "Run!" the boy with the ponytail cried, and they all jumped out of the way from the incoming mass of missiles. Though they managed to evade that attack, Inigo saw the boy with the buzzcut pull out a bubble wand in the corner of his eye, and he soon swung it to create three massive bubbles. As they surrounded the group, they found themselves with their backs up against each other. They began attacking them in order to pop them, though it would be to no avail as members of the enemy team all put their effort into popping one bubble, which splatted all three of the boys.

When they respawned, they began running down to the middle once more. "Yuri's still out there," the purple-eyed inkling noted. "He's gonna get splatted if they all attack him." He dove into the ink, the ripples marking his location as he swam faster and faster.

"Wait," Inigo said, catching up to his friend. He emerged, his feet skidding across the floor as he slowed down, and he looked over at the fair-skinned boy.

"…What?"

"He can always respawn; we don't need to back him up." He put a hand on Perry's shoulder. "Let's just focus on inking. This is a turf war after all."

"Ugh, fine." The boy with spiky bangs walked over to the puddles of indigo ink edging their own turf and began covering them up with his slosher.

Inigo smiled. He'd always loved his talent to solve problems and come up with new ideas in a snap. Signing the Rainbow Squids up to be recognized as an official team? His idea. Letting Asher, and later Alexis, join in on the fun when they decided to battle each other? His idea. Now, his solution regarding Yuri being alone, up against the enemy team, was to ignore him and keep inking turf. As long as they kept inking, they would win. That's the goal in a Splatfest and all turf wars, right? Even if this battle didn't count, he still wanted to claim victory in this match.

It did not take long for Inigo to encounter the other team once more. He activated an inkrail that was on a crate with uninkable walls and jumped over to it to swim to the other side. From there, the girl with the Rapid Blaster was waiting for him, shooting exploding rings in his direction. He hesitated for a little bit, wondering if he should retreat or jump in and fight. Ultimately, he retreated, as one shot managed to get a direct hit on him. He returned to the bulb of the inkrail and swam towards the towers in the very center.

Somehow, Yuri was still standing, happily firing away with his Heavy Splatling Deco. He pulled out a bubble wand and started happily swinging it back and forth to create three large bubbles. He charged it up again and began shooting at them, filling them up with ink until they popped.

"And that's the power of Bubble Blower!" he cheered. He looked over his shoulder to see the fair-skinned inkling and gave a thumbs up. Inigo returned it and started running towards the indigo sponges past their tower. From on top of the opposite tower, he noticed the girl with coffee-colored skin had climbed up on top of it and pulled out a bomb launcher. Splat bombs started raining down onto the battlefield, and Yuri set up a splash wall in front of them for protection. Inigo simply ran away.

 _So that's how he was able to survive,_ the boy deduced. _He relied on his splash walls._ Behind a wall he hid, taking cover from the splat bombs. He soon heard Yuri's cry of defeat, and from there, he knew he had to act soon. Once he heard the last bomb blow up, he emerged from behind the wall and charged towards the tower, flicking ink from his Carbon Roller towards the top of it. After a few tries, he still heard nothing. He turned around only to receive a blast of ink to the face. Spots floated around his vision as he was stunned from the shot, and then he was splatted.

As soon as he stepped off the spawn point, he saw Perry equip the Sting Ray, and soon, he fired a narrow beam that pierced through the air. In response, he super-jumped to him and entered the fray once more. Fable leaped out at them, but she ended up getting caught in the beam, splatting her. Then, Inigo threw out an autobomb, just in case someone else was hiding. It started waddling behind the tower they were next to, so he slowly followed it to investigate.

Behind the tower was the girl with the Bamboozler 14 Mk I. When the autobomb started to expand, she swam away, allowing it to explode without any casualties. From there, she backed up against the indigo sponge, charging up a shot and firing straight at Inigo. He hissed as the ink beam struck his chest, so in response, he brought up his roller and did a vertical swing at her. She dodged and fired once more, this one grazing his arm. Inigo then threw another autobomb at her and charged towards her, leaping into the air. She aimed towards the air, but she became careless enough to forget about the autobomb. Before he finished his swing, it exploded, splatting the sand-skinned girl.

He submerged into the ink to recover, and then he continued inking the area around him. He reckoned there was not much time left in the match, so he had to act, fast. He put his Carbon Roller to the ground and started running around, leaving a wide trail of ink wherever he went. A few seconds later, his hair started glowing orange, and he was able to unleash Ink Storm once more. Chucking the canister towards the enemy side, it burst open to release a cloud that would rain ink all over the battlefield. The boy with the Tenta Brella appeared around the curve, releasing the canopy in Inigo's direction before running away from the orange cloud hanging above him. Inigo himself swung around the large canopy, watching it crash into the crate behind him and disappear.

Roy then super-jumped to him and started swimming deeper into the enemy side, towards Ink Storm. Now that the enemy team was trapped, they could effectively claim a victory. For the rest of the match, Inigo spent his time near the enemy spawn point, splatting people as soon as he saw them. A little later, a whistle blew, and the inkling with the ponytail brought up his weapon. He looked behind him to see the map covered in orange and smiled.

"Good job, team," he said as the rest of the Rainbow Squids present joined him. They sat down up against the wall, staring at the other team while they hung out on the ledge of the uppermost platform. The boy with the buzzcut in particular grimaced at them, the faint shape of his eyes narrowing underneath his sunglasses.

"Good job indeed!" Fable cheered, walking over to them with a smile on her face. "Especially you, Inigo!" She patted him on the head, embarrassing the fair-skinned inkling a little bit.

"Thanks," he returned, pulling the collar of his shirt over his mouth.

"We should battle again some time, y'know," the short-haired inkling remarked. "Maybe a 1v1, or on the same team! Oh! Or a Salmon Run!"

"Count me in if you do a Salmon Run!" Yuri added.

"Yeah, and I kinda wanna see where this thing goes," Perry snickered. "Inigo and Fable, sittin' in a tree, K-"

"We're not dating!" Inigo snapped.

"I think she does like you, though," Roy whispered in his ear.

"Me too, but I don't feel the same," he replied softly.

"So… what do ya think?" Fable asked.

"Can I have your number, then?" the boy with the ponytail questioned in response. "We'll discuss it over text."

She smiled. "Of course!" She pulled out a deep violet phone and pulled up a phone number on the screen. "Just copy that down."

Inigo pulled out his phone as well and entered her number in as a new contact. "Done."

"Great!" Immediately, Fable's nose was in her phone, and she started walking back to her team, though she bumped into a wall along the way.

After some silence, the purple-eyed inkling then spoke, "Does anyone think that whole octoling story's a sham?"

"I don't think it's a sham, Perry," Yuri pointed out. He got out his phone as well and opened up Squidsagram, scrolling down to photos of a funny-looking inkling with dark hair, shades, and some kind of armor on. "Some people I follow snapped pictures of this girl, asking who she was." He tapped on one of them, pulling up the comments section. Scrolling through them, he pointed out one of them. "This one says she's an octoling. The original poster replied, 'Are you sure?', and they went on to tell the story."

Perry scanned the page and shook his head. "That doesn't prove anythin'."

"Believe what you want, Perry," Roy grumbled. "I still think that's real."

"Whatever."

A few moments later, Judd and L'il Judd arrived, positioning themselves on the crate between the two teams. They scanned the stage before doing their signature dance. Judd struck out an orange flag, causing the smaller cat to fall on his back.

"Yes! We won!" the dark-skinned boy exclaimed, hugging his Heavy Splatling Deco.

"Of course we did," Inigo asserted. "Do you see how much turf we covered?"

"And that's why we're the best," Roy boasted.

Afterwards, all the inklings super-jumped out of the Shifty Station, back towards the lobby. They only skimmed over their results; they weren't too interested in seeing how well they did at the moment. They stepped out of the room, back into the main lobby. Now, they searched for the girls, seeing if they had returned from their match. Later, they saw Alexis, Octavia, and Bonnie exiting a room, weapons in hand. They ran towards them and greeted them.

"How did your match go?" Bonnie asked.

"We won," Yuri replied.

"…Though it was against other members of Team Fantasy, so it didn't count," Roy added grudgingly.

"We still had fun, though," Inigo finished.

"We also won our match," Octavia said. "Though unlike you, we didn't fight members of our team."

"Now that we're all together, I've been wanting to ask you guys something," Alexis suddenly chimed in. Everyone turned their attention on the short inkling, and with a nervous smile, she asked, "D-Do you guys wanna explore the old plaza sometime?"

"Why?" was the red-eyed inkling's immediate response. "No one's there."

"Can't you go yourself?" followed her older sister. "You're old enough; no one's stopping you."

"Yeah, but you guys know the place better than I do. What if I get lost?" she argued.

"Look, what do you want to do there?" the spiky-haired inkling then queried.

"Just… look around. Nothing special," Alexis replied.

"Well, I'll go," Perry offered. "I've always wanted to play the old arcade cabinets again."

The short-haired girl smiled. "Anyone else wanna go?" Everyone shook their heads. "…OK, then. It'll just be you and me, Perry."

"If that's the case, I guess I'll see you some time."

"But we see each other every day."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I meant for plaza-explorin'."

"In the meantime, let's keep battling, and may the best team win," Inigo concluded.

They put their hands together and then threw them into the air. "Right!"

"Now, let's go, and have the Splatfest of a lifetime!"


	28. Mysteries of the Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry escorts Alexis to the abandoned Inkopolis Plaza, only to come across the entrance to a particular valley...

__

_Perry's PoV_

Alexis and Perry wandered through the narrow streets of Inkopolis, the area becoming less and less crowded as they neared Inkopolis Plaza. Some birds were picking at the litter that lined the streets, flying away once they heard the two inklings' footsteps. Though the plaza was not far from the square, it felt like an eternity to get there. Sights he hadn't seen since the beginning of the year came into view. The Inkopolis Tower rose above the rest of the buildings, a train sped by on the railway behind the tower, and the statues situated on top of Booyah Base and the studio just barely poke out of the horizon. Perry shivered from the breeze, giving the area an overall ghastly feel to it.

When they made their first steps into Inkopolis Plaza, they were met with total emptiness. Not a single soul was in sight, not even near the tower. Walking towards the center of the plaza, the purple-haired inkling saw the familiar faces of the fox and the tanuki staring down at them with their ceramic beady eyes. The giant screen that once displayed Inkopolis News still flashed with recent advertisements, but there was no one to look at them. Background music still played from the speakers behind them, but there was no one to listen to it. The doors to the tower were still open, but there was no one to enter them. The shops in Booyah Base were closed shut, but either way, there was no one to buy anything.

Alexis started walking over to a manhole near Inkopolis Tower, where a creepy old man used to peek out of every once in a while. Perry anticipated him to pop out of the hole suddenly, but even he was gone.

"You sure you wanna go there?" the pale-skinned inkling called, catching up with the younger one. "A creepy old man lives in there, and I don't want him doing… creepy things to you. Why not play an old game or something?"

"He's not there now, is he?" she teased. She opened it up. "C'mon, it'll only be for a little bit."

He crossed his arms and sighed. "Oh, alright." She jumped into it, and he followed her in, closing the manhole behind them,

When they emerged out on the other side, the inklings were met with fresh air in a vast valley, closed off by mountains with strange rock formations. Immediately to the right was a small, outdated shack decorated with various trinkets. Its most notable feature was the blue board on the front of it, which was covered in maps and photographs related to Octarians. Next to it was a broken snowglobe, as if something had burst out of it. On the opposite side of the stretch of land was a floating tablet etched with white lettering. A squid was imprinted on the very top of it.

Alexis walked over to the shack and glanced up at the corner of it. "Hey…" She put a finger on a picture depicting a familiar figure.

Perry walked over to join her. "Is that… the Squid Sisters?"

"I guess so," she replied and then chuckled. "I guess even creepy old men like their music."

"No, he probably wants to do creepy things to them, too," he argued.

"Can we look inside?" the orange-haired girl then asked.

"…Sure, but be quick."

The two inklings pushed the blue board out of the way and revealed a mass of books and zapfish dolls wearing a cap. Laid on top of the books were two sets of clothes. One was the tattered clothes he had usually seen the old man wear, complete with the cap found on top of the dolls. The other set of clothing, on the other hand, were rather fresh in the eyes of the inklings, only leading Perry to become bewildered. The clothing in question were a short beanie, a lime easy-stripe shirt, and punk blacks, an outfit the purple-haired inkling knew he's seen someone wear before. The unfortunate part is, he can't remember _who_.

"Hey, look at this!" Alexis picked up a picture in the shack and displayed its front to her friend. It depicted the Squid Sisters, alongside a third inkling girl with long green hair and fair skin, standing around the old man, who had a cake in front of him. All of them were wearing party hats. Scribbled in black marker was a message reading, 'Happy Birthday Gramps!'.

"Wait…" He snatched the photo and studied it closer. "Are ya saying that creepy old man is the Squid Sister's grandpa?!" He huffed. "He's just crazy, then."

"So… where is he, anyways?"

Perry scanned the area before turning back to the girl with a shrug. "I dunno. Maybe he ran off naked somewhere."

"But whose clothes are these?" She picked up the lime easy-stripe shirt and held it to her chest. "Has to be someone our age."

"And that's another mystery." He walked out of the shack and onto the pavement, towards a kettle exposed to the sunlight. "C'mon. Let's go explore this place more."

"Shouldn't we bring a weapon?" Alexis suggested.

"Where would we find a weapon?"

"We could break into the old Ammo Knights. There's aught to be somethin' in there."

"True."

With that agreement, the two friends travelled back to Inkopolis Plaza through the entrance grate. Once they popped out into the ghost town once more, they bolted towards Ammo Knights and smashed the door open. Perry rummaged through the storage of the old shop until he found an older version of the Sloshing Machine. Picking it up, he smiled as the memory of when he first bought his main weapon flooded into his head, all those days ago.

He was 14, and Ammo Knights had just announced the arrival of a brand new main weapon in the Slosher class—the Sloshing Machine. Quickly becoming a fanatic of the bucket weapon the day the original Slosher released, he, like many other inklings, flooded into the weapon shop to buy one. Though, Perry first wanted to try out the Sloshing Machine—he didn't want to make a wasteful investment! So, when he was in the front of the line, he was brought to the Shooting Range to try his luck on the target dummies. Within the first swing, he fell in love. He watched in wonder as the vortex of ink hurled itself toward the dummy, drenching it in his purple ink. Immediately, he bought it, and he used it over and over again, and he still uses it to this very day.

Alexis, on the other hand, struggled to find a weapon. She dug through stacks upon stacks of weapons, but she never made a choice.

"What are you lookin' for?" he asked, itching to go explore the mysterious valley more.

"I can't find any dualies," she complained.

He facepalmed and gave an airy laugh. "Yeah, about that... Dualies didn't really make their big hit until this past summer. This store never stocked them."

"Seriously?!" she cried. "I could have just picked up a Splattershot and just left if I'd known!"

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. But I didn't know you didn't know that. But, oh well. We got all the time in the world to make up for it."

Grumbling, she picked up an old version of the Splattershot and walked out of Ammo Knights, back towards the manhole that led to the valley. Perry followed her back, and they continued their adventure through the place. When they arrived at the first kettle, they stared into each other's eyes and gave determined nods before diving into it in the form of a squid.

A few moments later, they spawned into a place surrounded by buildings. The platform they were on was narrow, and at the end of it, there was a swirling circle colored lime green. The two inklings changed their ink colors to match the pad before stepping into, which launched them onto a wider platform covered in lime green ink. They swam through it and climbed up a ramp, leading them to a smaller circular pad that lit up when they stepped on it. From there, they continued onward to another launchpad at the end of the raised section of pavement.

When they arrived at the next area, Alexis asked, "Don't you think it's a little quiet?"

Perry nodded. "Too quiet…" They walked up to the walls in the middle of the new platform, the tops of it eroded off. It was decorated with stickers, but that was all. Inside the walls was another launchpad, where they promptly launched off to a sloped area, which had a red mural depicting an eel past the ground. They moved on to the next area. From the starting platform, it dropped off to a lower platform that had a ditch up ahead. The launchpad was on the larger side, though, so they continued without any further inspection. They leaped over the Firefin advertisement and arrived onto the next glowing pad to see towers decorated with identical logos up ahead. They swam through the lime ink present and moved on to the next area.

Walking along the pavement, Perry had to admit that he was disappointed. There was just nothing to see in this shadow of a strange world, as if someone had come by previously and obliterated the civilians to nothingness. They moved from one area to the next, seeing the same emptiness in each. He sighed as they arrived at the final area, where something glowing rested on top of a glass tower. They walked over to the launchpad located on one of the corners and super-jumped up to the top, where they were met with the zapfish doll found in the shack resting on top of a pedestal. A golden barrier surrounded it.

"So, this is the end?" Perry remarked. "This place was kinda lame, to be honest." The two inklings broke the barrier surrounding it, and the older inkling snatched the doll from it. He winked and struck a pose with the doll in hand, causing Alexis to snicker a little bit.

"Alright, alright, that was a good one. Let's get out of here," she said.

Perry put the doll back in place, and the barrier reformed around it. Perry and Alexis proceeded to super-jump out of the base, and soon the breeze met their faces as they climbed out of the kettle. Though the purple-eyed inkling considered going back, Alexis continued to walk down the sidewalk towards another kettle.

"You still wanna check out this place?" he called, puzzled.

"Hey, there has to be something interesting! We can't let our adventures go to waste!" she argued.

"And what do you suggest we do? Go into each one until we find something?"

"No." She walked over to another kettle and put her ear to it. "We can listen." After a few seconds, she stopped kneeling and shook her head. "This one's bad." She ran over to another one and did the same thing. "And this one…" She jumped down to the ground and walked up to a larger kettle that was situated on top of a purple pillow. "Same thing here."

Something in the light caught Perry's eye, and his gaze drifted over to a deactivated inkrail. "An inkrail?" he mused. He jumped down to join Alexis. "Maybe that'll lead somewhere."

She gasped. "You're right!" With the Splattershot in hand, she shot a few bullets of ink at it, letting it light up green and form a long trail to somewhere. They hopped in and swam until they reached the end of the inkrail, which led to an open area resembling a skatepark. On the highest hill was yet another giant kettle. Unlike the first area, Perry could faintly hear the hum of electricity here, when everything was quiet.

"Wait," the short-haired inkling murmured, walking up to the ramp leading up the hill. A few moments later, she was inking the hill and climbing up it. _I trust you're not leading me to a death trap_. He followed her to the top of the hill, where she was listening to the kettle. A few moments later, horror struck her features, and she concluded, "Something's down there."

"What?! You're serious?" Alexis nodded, and the pale-skinned boy put his ear down to the top of the kettle to listen as well. Though the sound was faint, he heard mechanical whirring from inside. His eyes widened upon the realization that the younger inkling was correct. "Oh my cod, you're right." Almost immediately after, he smirked and asked, "Wanna go check it out?"

"Couldn't we die down there?"

"Hey, you wanted to go here in the first place."

"Fair." Her eyes drifted over to the kettle. "If anything, we can stop it."

"Then, are you ready?"

"I am."

"Then, let's go."

The two inklings slipped into the giant kettle and founds themselves in a dimly lit area. Their ink changed into a golden color as they spawned in on a wooden dock. The sky was dotted with artificial lights, and giant truss beams towered above them. Small lights illuminated a sandy arena, and in the middle of it was a bronze cylinder covered in kelp. It was surrounded by a magenta moat, and Perry swore he saw something plop into it. Gripping their weapons, they super-jumped down to the battlefield to get a closer look. Wooden planks were everywhere, and several ramps with tribal designs edged the lighter earth. The moat seemed to be filled in a metal basin, and the cylinder was decorated with stickers. They took a few steps closer, anticipating something to happen.

"Is someone there?" Perry suddenly broke the tense silence. He stared at the object in the middle. It had to be on, but it looked like something had to activate it.

Suddenly, something leaped out of the moat and dove towards them. Startled, Alexis and Perry jumped and stepped back. The shape began to become more humanoid, and soon, it was in the shape of a boy, kneeling to the ground with one hand brushing the sandy. In his other hand was a silver remote with a red button in the middle of it. He stood up and cracked his neck, opening green eyes and giving a toothy smirk. He had magenta hair styled into a mohawk, with the longest tentacle curling just above his nose. He wore the Octoling Armor and Octoling Boots, though black fingerless gloves covered fair-skinned hands as well. Most notably, he had a notch on the top of his left ear.

With a snicker, he held the remote out in front of him and said, "I have wondered when an inkling would come here." He pressed the button. "Now it has come."

Electricity suddenly crackled off of the bronze object behind him, and the bronze object began spinning until dark lifeless eyes faced them. A faucet was in between them, and below it were mechanical legs fitted with blue tennis shoes. The eyes suddenly beamed to life, glowing yellow with horizontal pupils. It lifted up to reveal a kelp-covered body underneath. Suction cups filled the holes in it, and then it gave a mechanical roar.

"The dreaded Octonozzle!" the stranger announced.

"The Octonozzle?" Perry mused. "…Hey, I think we learned about it in school—"

"Shut up!" He pulled out a splat bomb and threw it at them, causing the two to scatter in a panic. "Splat the inklings!" he then commanded the old weapon before super-jumping up to the top of it. He grabbed some of the seaweed on its side and pulled it up, allowing him to steady himself on top of the machine. Within a few seconds, Octonozzle spewed out a giant ball of magenta ink, sending it rolling towards them. Though they quickly got out of the way, the robot proceeded to create an even larger ball, kicking it to split it into a line of five smaller balls.

Perry tried hurling ink at the globs, but they seemed to cut right through his golden ink. He gasped in disbelief, standing dumbfounded at the balls as they barreled towards him. They knocked him down, and he groaned as pain settled in from the ink running him over. The short-haired inkling quickly ran over to him and dragged him behind one of the ramps.

"Get up!" Alexis cried, patting his shoulders. "We're both leaving here alive tonight!"

He slowly rose to his feet and peeked over the ramp to see what the Octonozzle would do next. It proceeded to kick more ink in their direction, covering the barrier with the sticky ink. He met eyes with the stranger and quickly shot down back behind the ramp.

"Come out! Give me a show!" he demanded.

"What's with this guy?" the purple-eyed boy whispered to the younger inkling. "He wants to splat us, and for no reason, too."

"I guess he lives here, so we're technically trespassing…" Alexis noted before shaking her head. "But enough of that. We need to figure out a way to take out this guy."

"Octonozzle or the guy?"

"Octonozzle. We have to attack its weak points in order to defeat it."

"Do you see any?"

"Those suction cups… They have to be there for a reason."

"So, we take them all out, and maybe something will happen."

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"K, let's go!" he leaped out from behind the ramp and started hurling ink at the front suction cup. Octonozzle proceeded to spit out another line of ink balls, but this time, Perry was prepared. He stepped out of the way and continued the assault. The machine had a tendency to spin around, making it hard to take out one particular spot in one go. Eventually, the two dealt enough damage to one to make it pop, though it did not faze Octonozzle.

Grinning, the stranger cackled, "Now the fun will begin!"

Once all the suction cups were popped, the small pipes collapsed and the head began spinning around as it was stunned. A magenta tentacle then popped out of the top of it, stretching as it emerged. The green-eyed boy was knocked off of Octonozzle, crashing into the moat below with a large splash. Perry pulled out a splat bomb and threw it onto the top of it, while Alexis inked its side and climbed up it to finish the tentacle off. When it burst, a stream of magenta ink gushed out of its head, and the two inklings super-jumped away from it.

"Is it beat? Did we win?" Perry asked.

His question was soon answered as a new tentacle popped out of the top, with no signs of damage on it whatsoever. It submerged inside Octonozzle again, causing its eyes to light up once more. It spun up to reveal its sides once more, complete with suction cups filling the holes once more. Its pupils narrowed and it roared, clearing the ink from the arena.

"And… now we run again."

The machine's first attack was to spew a ginormous magenta ball and kick it into an arch of smaller globs, covering a larger area. A few of them ran into Alexis, knocking her down. She looked over her shoulder and rolled out of the way before another ink ball could slam into her. When it passed, Perry dashed over to the bronze-skinned inkling and grabbed her arm, bringing her behind the ramp. She glared at him once he sat down, not amused.

"I can handle myself," she snapped.

"We still gotta be careful." Perry smiled. "Like you said, we're both leaving this place alive. No squid left behind!"

She was silent for a few moments before standing up and saying, "You're right. No squid left behind!" She ran past the ramp again and started shooting at the suction cups, eventually bursting a few of them. Octonozzle continued attacking more frequently, so they were constantly on their toes. Oddly enough, there was no sign of the stranger whatsoever. That wasn't important, though, as they currently had a much bigger problem on their hands.

Once all the suction cups were taken out, the machine malfunctioned and spun around dazed once more. Before they could climb up and take out the tentacle, the stranger suddenly burst out of the moat once more and started rapidly throwing splat bombs at them.

"How can he throw that many bombs?!" the bronze-skinned inkling cried out, bewildered. "You'd have to have a really big ink tank for that, and he's not even wearing one!"

"You do not know what the Bomb Rush is?" the boy perplexed as he continued throwing bombs. "Is it not a special the inklings use?"

"It got banned a while back, bud," Perry explained bluntly. "Usin' _any_ of the old special weapons while battling would get you banned, too. But luckily…" The pale-skinned inkling activated his special and starting chucking splat bombs at him. "…No one's watchin' but us."

He growled and leaped towards the inkling, knocking him down to the ground. "Alexis! Go blow up the tentacle!" he called as the stranger gripped his hoodie and pulled it towards him. Perry was forced to look at his ferocious green eyes and feel his hot breath on his face.

"I have been waiting for a long to cross paths with an inkling," he hissed. "For years I have listened to lectures upon lectures on how dangerous they are; how they beat the Octarians in the Great Turf War that _they_ won, and _we_ lost. And now that my soul has been freed, I can finally get my chance. I have seen how dangerous the inklings are, and now I can experience it for myself." He gripped Perry's shirt tighter. "You have not given the Octonozzle that I have improved a real fight. Do you think I can let you defeat it so easily, when the fun has to start?"

"Where did you get the notion that inklings are dangerous? We just want to have fun!" Perry argued. "Sendin' a giant weapon that was used a hundred years ago after us isn't fun! We just wanted to check out what was down here, and now we're in a life-or-death situation!"

"That is where you are wrong!" he roared. In the background, the boy heard the geyser of ink squirt out the top of Octonozzle once more, followed by Alexis's cheers as she super-jumped away. "Two years have passed since the dreaded Agent 3 decimated the Octarian army. Two years have passed since the dreaded Agent 3 defeated DJ Octavio, leader of the Octarians." He gave an unsettling grin. "Two years have passed since the Calamari Inkantation set us free! We are free to do what we wish, without DJ Octavio commanding us what to do!"

"'Agent 3'? What are you even talkin' about? And what does Calamari Inkantation have to do with all of this?"

The octoling choked up on his words, his expression changing to one of disbelief. Perry heard the Octonozzle shoot some more ink balls in the background, and he knew he had to act fast. While the boy's guard was down, the inkling with the spiky bangs raised a leg up and kicked his crotch, pushing him off of him. The stranger let out a cry of pain as he curled up into a ball. As the machine regenerated its suction cups once more and let out a mechanical roar to clear the ink on the field, Perry rushed past the whimpering figure and started attacking the suction cups once more.

Alexis looked between the two boys before asking the inkling, "What did you do?"

"Oh, don't worry, he'll be fine." The purple-eyed boy stuck out his tongue and winked. "That trick doesn't see species."

She sighed. "Let's just finish this guy."

Looking over at Octonozzle, it proceeded to send five more ink balls at them. They jumped over them and started attacking once more. This phase was a little trickier, as the attacks were almost continuous with the machine's snappy head. Every now and then, Perry looked over at the stranger, who still lied on the ground helpless. He certainly didn't want to splat him, but he couldn't just ignore him, either. When the final suction cup fell, and the Octonozzle broke down again, revealing the tentacle once more.

With one last determined nod, the two inklings climbed up to the top and destroyed the tentacle once and for all. They super-jumped away once magenta ink started gushing out again, and they watched as sparks flew off it as it tried regenerating the tentacle once more. Its golden eyes rolled around as it stretched up towards the sky and started to swell. Its eyes bulged as yellow rays emitted from its metallic joints, and then it exploded in a mass of golden ink. Orange orbs spilled across the ink-covered battlefield, while the stranger was nowhere to be seen.

"Booyah!" Alexis cheered. "We did it! We stopped the Octonozzle!"

"Booyah! Now let's get out of here."

Turning into squids, the two shot out of the dark world and reemerged to face a brilliant sunset. Smiling, they returned to the ink rail they arrived from and swam into it, soon arriving at the area containing the exit to this valley. They walked up the sidewalk and back towards the manhole that led them here in the first place. They travelled back to Inkopolis Plaza through it, and back they were in the ghost town. They returned the weapons to the old Ammo Knights and repaired the hole they made.

"Can we take a train back?" the bronze-skinned inkling asked. "I'm tired of walking."

"Yeah." He smiled. "We deserve it."

They walked to the Plaza Station, where a bored crustacean was surprised to see people in front of him. Perry paid for their tickets and boarded the train, where they took a seat and relaxed. The pale-skinned boy, who had changed his ink color back to purple, pulled out his phone for the first time in a few hours to be met with several messages asking where they've been. He replied that they were on their way back now, adding he had a lot of stories to tell them when they get back. Roy initially expressed disbelief upon hearing this, but Perry assured him he'll like it.

When the train arrived at Inkopolis Square, the two inklings burst out of their seats and started running back towards the Deca Tower. _Finally! I'm back!_ He missed seeing the sights that had become a new home for him, from the Galleria to Inkopolis Studio to the Crust Bucket. Of course, inklings spotted the square, happily chatting away about the freshest trends or simply banter.

Back near the Crust Bucket were the Rainbow Squids. "Guys! We're back!" he shouted, waving his arms around as he ran up to them.

"Perry!" they cheered. He fist-bumped with them and took his seat.

"Alexis!" Octavia greeted, pulling her sister into a hug. "I was so worried!"

"Via, y'know I can handle myself," she whined.

"For once, I gotta agree," the purple-haired boy remarked. "With what we got into, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her quick thinking."

"Why? What happened?" Bonnie asked. Perry and Alexis recounted their adventure, causing some surprised reactions from the rest of the group.

"You fought one of the Great Octoweapons and didn't get splatted?!" Inigo exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

"And there was an octoling there, too?" the girl with the double bun marveled.

"Now I wish I went with you…" Roy grumbled.

"Me too—Wait, what's that?!" the wavy-haired inkling started, pointing to Perry's waist once her tone became frantic.

"What's what?" Perry asked. He looked down at himself and saw the faintest traces of green slithering around him. He shrieked and transformed between a squid and kid rapidly, trying to get it off of him.

"Hold still!" Yuri demanded, getting up from his chair and grabbing something on his back. He pulled it off, and the pale-skinned boy turned around to see what his friend had retrieved. In his hands was the mantle of an octopus, tentacles dangling in the air. It then transformed back into the octoling from the valley, who displayed a poker face.

"You!" Alexis yelled, pointing to him. She put a finger on his nose, smushing it, and demanded, "Why are you here?"

"I followed you," he replied. "I am not letting you get away with the ruins of my show."

"Woah, can't we be friends?" Yuri asked him. "For starters… what's your name?"

"Giovanni Briareus," the octoling replied.

The dark-skinned inkling gave an awkward smile. "It's a start."

"I am not here to be your friend," Giovanni snapped.

At that moment, the intro for Off the Hook played, causing everyone to turned to the TV. "Y'all know what time it is!" Pearl announced.

"It's Off the Hook, coming at you live from Inkopolis Square!" Marina finished.

"Marina Ida…?" the green-haired boy muttered.

"Yeah, that's Marina Ida, part of Off the Hook, Gio—mind if I call ya that?" Perry explained.

"Hmm…" He turned into an octopus to escape Yuri's grasp and transformed back as he started to walk to the studio. "I will be back."

As Off the Hook gave news on the current stages, Octavia said, "Geez, what's his problem?"

"I guess octolings are grumpy," the pale-skinned inkling joked.

All of the Rainbow Squids laughed along, and once the news was over, everyone was back in their seats, chatting about the newest trends. And though today was certainly a most interesting day, there was one thing everyone could agree on. This would not be the last they see of Giovanni Briareus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the last chapter in Season 1! Stay tuned for the first bonus story on Wednesday, the 1st of January! Can you guess who it features...?


	29. Bonus Story 1: The Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giovanni goes to visit Marina.

_Giovanni's PoV_

The green-haired octoling walked towards the studio, curiosity brimming on his face. Why would one of the Octarians' most elite engineers get reduced to a disc jockey? He didn't get it. Marina Ida had so much potential, but she decided to waste it. _But then again…_ They worked in the same unit, despite never interacting due to differing ranks. He recalled seeing her at the grand concert, where DJ Octavio fought against the dreaded Agent 3. She was free from their old oppressive society now—but why not take advantage of her skills?

As he walked past the glass window displaying the inside of the studio, he saw Marina and the other member of Off the Hook, an inkling with short cream hair tipped with pink and pale skin, chatting. He glared at the inkling briefly before moving on to the entrance. Even if the physical pain brought on by the fight against the intruders had faded, he'll never forget the humiliation he felt as a result. _I'll bet she'll backstab her one day,_ he thought as his training crept into his mind.

Giovanni shook his head, stepping inside the building. _No_. He clenched a gloved fist. _I'm here now_. As much as he wanted to fight another inkling, he couldn't. He was in Inkopolis, surrounded by their kind and culture. The purple-haired boy's statement about fun echoed in his head. He snorted. They just thought of battles like a game. After hearing that, how could anyone take them seriously?

Two inkling guards stood in front of the entrance into the recording room, meeting eyes with the octoling. "Show me your pass," demanded one of them.

"What do you mean by a pass?" Giovanni proceeded to ask.

"Yeah, a pass, Y'know…" The other one pulled a golden card out of his pocket depicting a logo. "This. You do know you need one to see Pearl and Marina, right?" The boy shook his head.

"He must be new to Inkopolis," whispered the first guard to the other. "He doesn't seem very fresh."

"I can be 'the fresh'," the octoling protested. Despite snooping on the New Squidbeak Splatoon for over a year, he never grasped the concept of the term.

"You might want to start by getting new clothes," recommended the second guard, putting a brown finger on the silver chestplate Giovanni wore. "Octoleet gear has been out of style for at least a year now."

"Anyways," started the first inkling. The second one had straightened. "You can't get in without a pass."

"Why can I not get in without a pass?" the green-haired boy then prodded.

"Against the rules, bud," the second guard replied. "Sorry."

"But-"

"The rules are rules," said the first guard. "I'll have to escort you out if you don't leave."

The door suddenly unlocked behind them, and the three of them were now focused on it. The pale-skinned idol with starry eyes opened it up and now stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "What's going on out here?" she demanded.

"Sorry, Pearl," apologized the first guard, a nervous smile dancing along her face. "This guy won't leave. We were about to lead him outside," she explained, gesturing to Giovanni.

"Wait…" piped in a new voice. Marina Ida towered over her coworker, so it was not difficult for her at all to join the conversation. Though, he could have sworn she was taller. _Did she shrink? Or did I grow?_ "He looks familiar," she commented.

"I am familiar. I know you." The octoling boy couldn't help but smile. On the inside, he was ecstatic. _She noticed me! She knows who I am!_

The dark-skinned octoling adjusted her headphones. "You do, now?" she asked gingerly. "Then…" Her teal eyes darted around for a few moments before returning her attention to Giovanni. "Let's talk… elsewhere." Pearl whispered something to her, but Marina responded back in the same volume. Nodding, she walked past the line of inklings behind the fair-skinned octoling. "Follow me," she uttered softly in the Octarian language, looking over her shoulder to face him. Giovanni nodded and trailed behind her.

They arrived in an empty recording booth, the controls thoroughly polished. Marina pulled up chairs for the two of them, and she sat down in one, crossing her legs and fidgeting with her thumbs. The boy with the mohawk sat down in the other chair, confident.

"So, um…" The disc jockey looked off to the side. "Hi."

"Hi," he greeted back. "…Do you remember me?"

"No…?" She adjusted her headphones again. "I mean, you must have been at the show. I can tell your soul's been touched by the Calamari Inkantation."

"I was." He pounded a fist into his hand. "It's something I'll never forget. But that's not all."

"Oh?"

"I was placed into the same unit as you a month before. We were different ranks, but I'm certain that we saw each other from time to time."

"Hmm…" She paused briefly, making the boy a little nervous. "Actually… I do remember seeing a guy with a notch in his ear." Marina sighed. "I'm sorry. We all look so similar with goggles on."

 _It's a start._ "Do you know my name?" The idol shook her head. His lips puckered at the answer. Marina Ida was the one person he thought he could talk to, but as it turns out, she had little-to-no recollection of him. But who was he kidding? Back when they served DJ Octavio, Giovanni had occupied one of the lowest ranks an octoling could possibly have, while Marina occupied one of the highest. The reality that they did not really know each other was inevitable.

"I'm sorry… um… you can tell me your name, if you want," Marina offered, extending a hand.

He took the hand and shook it. "Giovanni," he replied, smirking. "Giovanni Briareus." When they let go, the green-haired octoling was quick to ask more questions. "Why did you become a DJ? You could have used your skills elsewhere."

"Well… I have to owe it to Pearlie."

"The other girl? What does she have to do with anything?"

"She's the one who inspired me to go into music. I wouldn't be here in Inkopolis if it wasn't for her, and I can't imagine my life without her."

He snorted. "You really care about her, huh."

"Yeah…" she said, smiling. "Well… do you want to try out a turf war?"

"A turf war? Like, with the inklings?" Marina nodded. "Heck yeah I do!" He stood up from his seat, boasting a confident pose. His stance relaxed when he then remembered, "…But I only have bombs."

"I'm sure Sheldon could give you an Octo Shot Replica. He probably has some laying around."

"I guess that works." He walked towards the door and opened it. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

"R-right." The idol rose from her chair and followed Giovanni out of the recording booth. When they arrived at the entrance, some fans talking to the pale-haired inkling noticed her partner and started cheering Marina's name. The dark-skinned octoling simply smiled and waved.

"Hey, Pearl," she started in Inkling. "Do you want to do a turf war in a bit?"

"Yeah," the other idol responded. "Lemme get my dualies."

"We're going to Ammo Knights first," Marina noted. Pointing to the green-haired octoling, she explained, "He needs a weapon. So… do you wanna come?"

"Ugh, I don't wanna listen to Sheldon talk about weapons all day..." she whined. "Sorry Marina; I'll wait for you at the tower."

"OK." The tall idol started walking out of the studio, gesturing for Giovanni to follow. He promptly followed, keeping a good posture. "It's just across the street," she told him in Octarian.

"Convenient." As they walked into Ammo Knights, the green-haired boy marveled at the weapons in the display case. They all seemed so polished and clean... Since he wasn't qualified to become an elite soldier, capable of guarding the domes in Octo Valley, he received minimal weapon training. He particularly took a liking to splat bombs for their versatility, even having several cans of Bomb Rush on hand at all time. Since he defected, however, he had to keep his use of specials to a minimum.

Inside the shop was a horseshoe crab, polishing some weapons. "Sheldon!" Marina called in Inkling.

The crab turned around, the size of his eyes amplified by the goggles he wore. "Marina?" He ran up to the two octolings and bowed. "Fancy seeing you here! What do you need today?"

"Does he normally act like this?" Giovanni whispered to her in their native tongue. The idol nodded.

"Do you have any Octo Shot Replicas, by any chance?" she asked.

"I do!" he cheerfully replied. "Not many, but I do!" Sheldon ran to the back of the shop, and a minute later, he came out with the requested weapon, its empty tank glistening in the light. "It's a little odd you're coming to me for one; Judd is usually the one who has them." The fair-skinned octoling leaned in for a better listen, curious. "But anyways—the Octo Shot Replica, as its name suggests, was modelled after the weapons octolings use! It's a lot like the Tentatek Splattershot, with splat bombs and the Inkjet special. It's perfect for pushing towards the front lines and expanding your team's turf! It's a definite recommend from me!"

"Well." Marina pulled some coins out of her pocket and gave to the horseshoe crab, who in return gave the shooter to her. "Here you go. Have a nice day!"

"You too, Marina."

Once the octolings left Ammo Knights, the idol gave the shooter to Giovanni. "He wouldn't be too happy if I let him know it was for you."

"Why?" the green-haired boy asked.

"The shopkeepers at the Galleria have pretty high standards. They won't sell anything to you if you're not fresh enough," she explained. "And obviously, you're not very fresh right now."

"I can be plenty fresh," he protested, crossing his arms. "I just need experience."

"And you'll get it through turf wars. C'mon, let's go."

He huffed and followed Marina into the tower. There were a few benches outside the entrance into the lobby, where some inklings sat. At the sight of the dark-skinned octoling, they began calling her name and begging for autographs. She simply waved at them, denying any autographs. Once inside, she pulled out a brella and searched for Pearl. They were quick to find the short idol, who was spinning some dualies.

"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought," remarked Pearl.

"Same," she agreed.

"Anyways, ya ready?" Marina nodded. "Aight! Let's go!"

As expected, fans followed them wherever Off the Hook went. As a result, many inklings tried to crowd in the elevator they entered. Giovanni caught a few angry glares directed towards him, their eyes like needles. He dismissed it as jealously, but it did not quell the discomfort he felt. A voice at the back of his head nagged him, reminding him that he was an octoling, the enemy of the inkling. But he had to ignore it. Nothing was going to ruin his first turf war with the inklings!

The lucky few that did manage to join the same room as Off the Hook enthused about their freshness, with one even begging for an autograph. They happily complied, both idols signing the inkling girl's shooter. She squealed with glee and proceeded to talk about it with the other inklings. Suddenly, the elevator stopped moving, and a grate opened underneath them with a hiss.

 _This is it!_ he thought, expectant. Despite his uneasiness, he couldn't help but feel giddy. Transforming into an octopus, he slipped through the grate to his next destination. A few moments later, he appeared on a bright green spawn point with the two idols, plus an additional squid. They transformed into their kid forms, and Giovanni got a chance to scan the battlefield. It was a large, open area—likely a plaza—with a bridge in the center of it.

Suddenly, everyone on his team began firing their weapons, spreading the green ink all across the pavement. At first, he stared at them, dumbfounded, but soon, he began to do the same. He held down the trigger of the Octo Shot Replica, and ink began squirting from the barrel. Slowly he paced around the upper area, making sure each and every spot was covered. When there was no more turf to cover, he transformed and swam through the ink to catch up with the others at the bridge.

"Where is this?" he asked in Inkling.

"Yo, you don't know the Reef?!" Pearl exclaimed, surprised. She dodge-rolled out of the way of a girl's incoming roller and promptly splatted her. "Guess ya really did just move here."

"Yes," he confirmed.

"No wonder he's not fresh," muttered a voice behind him.

He looked over his shoulder to see the girl who had her weapon signed before the battle. "I hear you," he snapped.

She gave a nervous chuckle. "...But you'll get fresher with each passing day."

The boy eyed her shooter, which she used to quickly take down another approaching enemy. "What is that weapon?" Giovanni asked.

"A .52 Gal," the girl replied. "It's nothing special, really."

Before he could question more about it, he was quickly smushed by something behind him, splatting him. Even after he respawned, he was still dazed. He rubbed his head and started swimming back to the bridge. It seemed abandoned for the most part, so he decided to explore the other side. As he walked there, he fired the Octo Shot Replica. A smile spread across his face as the turf progressively became greener with his team's ink. _This is so much fun!_

Cocky, he walked up a ramp leading to the enemy base. There appeared to be no one there... until he was pierced with a beam of pink ink. Respawning once more, he decided to take a side route that had yet to be covered in ink. He took his time as he strolled down the lane, admiring the scenery. The warm rays beamed against his fair skin, the soft breeze rustled the trees' leaves, the shadows of skyscrapers stretched over the plaza. If you forgo the chaos of battle, it was actually rather peaceful.

He had to admit—Inkopolis looked so much better than the rocky valley or the underground domes he once lived in. Yet, he was already feeling homesick for Octo Valley. Technology gave him a sense of familiarity, and inkling tech was nothing like the Octarians'. And life was definitely more carefree in the city. Octarian society was strict and rigid, never-changing. Even after he abandoned the army, he remained alert and on-edge. With the new-and-improved Octonozzle being destroyed, he thought that maybe he could finally relax in Inkopolis.

Giovanni arrived at an open space to witness Marina and another inkling battle. The enemy fired her blaster, which had a sticker on it, at the dark-skinned octoling, who quickly revealed the canopy of her brella to block it. The opponent simply dodged the blasts from the brella. It appeared that the two were in a stalemate in their battle.

"I help!" he shouted, jumping down to the battlefield. Marina gasped in surprise, and with the loss in focus, her canopy fired, and she was left without a shield. The enemy inkling raised an eyebrow, perplexed. Taking advantage of her confusion, Giovanni aimed at her chest, and he fired. Before he could splat her, she fired a shot of her blaster back. The direct hit instantly splatted him, pain blooming in his abdomen. As his ghost floated back to the spawn point, he watched the canopy ram into the inkling, splatting her as well.

Once he respawned, the octoling boy began running back to the battlefield. _A match is three minutes, right?_ He had watched countless practice sessions the octolings conducted, even participating in a few himself, which included mock turf wars. _How much longer do I have?_ He might as well make the best of it. He noticed the grassy lot underneath the bridge and headed down towards it. Like he expected, it was covered in ink. Pink ink. He scoffed and started covering it back up with his weapon. Once he finished, he turned around just to see a girl pushing her roller forward, creating a path of ink behind her. He had the idea to cower in hopes it would spark some kind of pity. She still steamrolled him.

 _Why do I keep dying?_ he asked himself, annoyed. This wasn't his first turf war ever, but true to their reputation as monsters, the inklings had remarkable skill. _Especially the roller girl._

Marina spawned next to him, and she asked in Octarian, "Hey! How it's goin'?"

"Great... kind of," he replied. "The inklings are just too good." He crossed his arms and stepped off the spawn point.

"Have you tried using your sub? Or your special?"

"No... Am I supposed to?"

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure you have splat bombs and an Inkjet. You know how to use them, right?"

"Yeah." A pink marker suddenly appeared around the two octolings, and Marina grabbed the back of Giovanni's undershirt and pulled him back onto the spawn point. He yelped and turned around to scowl at her.

"Hey, we gotta have each other's backs, right?" she defended.

Missiles rained down on them, exploding on contact with the barrier that surrounded them. Pink splatters of ink surrounded the circle. "...I'll be seeing you." He gestured goodbye, covered the splatters back up, and headed back down to the central area.

He tried summoning his Inkjet, to no avail. _I can't use my Bomb Rush cans,_ he reminded himself. _And I don't have any for Inkjet. How does this work...?_ After covering up a decent amount of turf, his hair started to glow green.

"Dude, use your special!" the girl who wielded the .52 Gal recommended from somewhere.

He tried activating the Inkjet once more, and this time, it succeeded. Suddenly he was propelled into the air with a gun in his hands. Now at eye level with the bridge, he flew around, shooting aimlessly. His green eyes continuously scanned the arena, looking for any enemy inklings. He saw a pink-haired inkling boy place down a radar of some sort before continuing on to ink the ground with his shooter. Giovanni aimed at him and fired. With one perfect shot, the boy splatted, causing the octoling to pump a fist. The Inkjet started beeping, and soon he was flying back to the spot where he activated it.

When he landed, he found himself stepping in enemy ink. He threw a splat bomb behind him and trudged through the ink with heavy steps. The moment his team's ink was in reach, he jumped towards it and swam away. Once he thought he was far away from his landing spot, he scanned the area to find nothing significant. He let out a sigh of relief. At last, he was safe. But for how much longer? He threw a bomb out in front of him, and it exploded, covering no turf whatsoever. Hesitantly, he took a few steps back out into the opening. Towards the enemy base, Giovanni noticed Pearl dancing around a shaky beam, shooting at an unknown aggressor. _Maybe I can help._

He swam towards the pale-skinned idol, shooting at whatever turf needs covering up. As soon as he got in range, he popped out of the ink and began shooting... at nothing. He stopped, looking around for Pearl's opponent. Soon, he noticed an inkling boy with bangs, smirking as he aimed his charger at Giovanni.

"Oh." The boy fired, and the octoling exploded into a pile of pink ink. He scolded himself for not reacting. When he respawned, he simply stood there, thinking. It appeared that their team was winning, but it was still possible for the opposing team to win. Out of habit, Giovanni ran a hand through his mohawk. He did a little bounce and charged back towards the bridge, aiming his Octo Shot Replica. When he set foot on it, the same girl with the roller suddenly jumped from the ink and slammed her roller down on him.

He respawned once more, and as soon as he took a step off the spawn point, a whistle blew, and everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Green eyes searched the battlefield. _Is it over?_ He felt his heart pumping in his chest. Despite his disappointing performance, the battle was invigorating in some way. Suddenly, he was beaming. He loved it. He wanted to keep battling, all day long. Suddenly, it didn't matter if he in Inkopolis. Suddenly, it didn't matter that he was with the enemy. All he wanted to do was to keep battling, and nothing would stop him.

On the bridge, two cats, one bigger than the other, appeared from somewhere. They did a little dance before the smaller one struck out a pink flag, while the bigger one fell over.

"Man, I thought we had that one," he heard Pearl complain.

He wiped the dumb smile off of his face and walked up to the two idols, who were standing next to reach other. "Win?" Giovanni asked them.

Marina shook her head. "I'm sorry... but we lost."

"What?!" he cried out.

"I know, that's what I was thinkin'," the short girl noted. "Gotta admit, it was really close. Hey, at least we weren't toast!"

Giovanni crossed his arms and frowned. "I think I am the reason you had lost."

"What? No! Ya did great out there!" she tried to assure him.

"I was splatting too much. Disappointing."

"Believe it or not, you actually helped us in a way," Marina tried comforting him.

"Help you?"

"You distracted the girl with the Blaster long enough for me to splat her," the dark-skinned idol explained.

"And runnin' in there distracted the guy with the Splat Charger, so I could splat him, just like that," Pearl added.

"I had splatted," he protested.

The idols looked at each other and shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat," the idol with short hair commented.

"Pardon?"

Before any more answers could be given, they all transformed into cephalopods and super-jumped somewhere. Suddenly, he was in the dimly-lit lobby with the other people in the battle, a green squid pattern scrolling across the walls. A screen displaying the map was right in front of them. It appeared to be pretty even. He drifted down to the percentages to learn that his team had lost by 0.1%.

"Wow, that really _was_ close," remarked the girl wielding the .52 Gal.

As the screen displayed further statistics, Marina started whispering to Giovanni in Octarian. "What did you think?"

"Aside from losing..." he whispered back, "it was great! I loved every bit of it." He pumped a fist. "I'll get good enough to beat the inklings one day, I just know it."

Marina simply smiled and straightened. "Well, it looks we have to make our leave, now," she said in Inkling.

"Gotta get back to the studio, y'know!" Pearl added.

"And remember..." added the octoling girl.

"Don't get cooked... Stay off the hook!" they concluded, striking some poses. The duo waved as they left the room.

Later, more inklings entered the room, ready for battle. Giovanni twirled his Octo Shot Replica around before getting a solid grip on it. _I won't lose this time._

* * *

About an hour later, Giovanni finally emerged from the elevator, victorious. "Woo!" he cheered. After Off the Hook had left, he actually managed to get a pretty good winning streak. Now, he was feeling pretty fresh. The girl with the .52 Gal, whose name was Audrey, even commented on how fresh was becoming before she left the room. It was a fact he was glad to hear. _Now for some better clothes._

He walked out of the tower, looking around for some shops. He noticed Ammo Knights, and next to it were some other stores. But then, he had a thought.

 _I've seen Agent 3 wear casual clothes before,_ he recalled. The last time he saw her was over a month ago, wearing the clothes she wore whenever she traversed the Octarian domes. It was also then that she dropped her cellphone—and Giovanni took it. He pulled a green squid-shaped phone out of his pocket at that thought. A picture depicting a tower in Inkopolis, the Great Zapfish curled around it, appeared when he turned it on, alongside a multitude of messages. _Maybe she left her clothes in that shack._

He turned around, seeing another tower, behind the one in the square, far off in the distance. Turning into an octopus, he super-jumped over there, a green streak of ink following him. He had a rough landing, scraping himself against the pavement. He recognized this place as the one the two intruders arrived in when they climbed out of the grate leading to Octo Valley. He rose to his feet and looked at the tower in front of him. He pulled out Agent 3's phone again and glanced between it and the actual structure. It was the same tower... yet there was no Great Zapfish.

 _How odd._ Now was not the time for pondering. He walked over to the grate and climbed into it. Moments later, he was back in the familiar valley, the stone walls surrounding him as he stepped onto grass. With a better look at the entrance from Inkopolis, he noticed that the snow globe once containing DJ Octavio had shattered. The giant octopus was nowhere to be found.

 _He stole the Great Zapfish again, didn't he,_ he grumbled silently. _But whatever; not my problem. I bet there's someone doing something about it. Like the dreaded Agent 3 or the Squid Sisters._ Giovanni approached the shack and walked into it. Inside was nothing spectacular—books, zapfish dolls, a makeshift bed, et cetera. A few pictures were hung up on the walls. He spotted tattered garments on top of one pile of books, and some fresh clothes on another. It was clear that one belonged to the old inkling DJ Octavio had once captured—he appeared to be named Cap'n Cuttlefish—and one belonged to Agent 3.

Giovanni put on Agent 3's beanie and smirked. He tried putting on her shirt and shoes as well, only to find that they were too small for him. It was no bother—he would just have to buy clothes his size back in Inkopolis. Turf wars gave him quite a bit of money...

With the situation in Octo Valley sorted out, he returned to Inkopolis Square and proceeded to buy said clothes. When he walked out of the fitting room in Shella Fresh, he brushed his hair aside and put a hand on his hip. Quietly, he muttered to himself in Octarian.

"Ha. The inklings won't know what's coming to them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The first new chapter posted onto AO3. Though it's only a bonus story, it still counts. Of course, it's also on Fanfiction.net - it still remains the place where I post new chapters first. Likewise, you may be wondering, "When's Season 2 going to come out?". Well, I'm happy to announce the FIRST THREE CHAPTERS will release this weekend! For simplicity, Chapter 30 releases January 3rd, Chapter 31 releases January 4th, and Chapter 32 releases January 5th! They're all in the same arc, which is why the releases are consecutive. Stay tuned, and have a fantastic 2020!


	30. Deca Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new tournament in town, and the Rainbow Squids decide to participate. Who will win?

_Roy's PoV_

A few days before the end of November, jellyfish everywhere started handing out fliers to inklings of all shapes and sizes, each promoting the same thing—the first ever Deca Tournament, a contest where teams of four battle it out through ranked battles, and the ultimate winner will get a special prize. As these fliers became more and more abundant, Inkopolis's youth started to wonder if the tournament was legitimate. Not many people bothered signing up for it until a special news segment came on the jumbotron plastered on the front of Deca Tower.

"December 5th, don't miss it!" Pearl exclaimed. "Yo, the first annual Deca Tournament is in town!"

"And Off the Hook will be commentating on it," Marina added.

"So don't miss it, ya hear?"

"Yeah, don't miss it."

Octavia pulled out the crumbled-up flier out of a bag she had and unfolded it, examining the details. "It really is real," she muttered.

"Then we gotta join!" Yuri chimed. "Off the Hook's gonna be there." He winked at Perry. "We don't wanna miss it, right?"

A faint blush bloomed on the purple-haired inkling's face, and he scratched the back of his head, looking off to the side and repeating, "Right."

"How are we gonna organize the teams, though?" Bonnie brought up. "There's seven of us, and each team has to have four people in it. There's not enough to make two even teams."

"We could invite Asher to join us," Inigo suggested.

"But Asher hasn't joined us since in forever," Via argued. "He'd be rusty."

"And he hasn't even done any turf wars recently, either," Roy noted.

"It still wouldn't hurt asking," the fair-skinned inkling reasoned. "No one would turn down a chance to battle!"

"Unless you're old," Perry snickered.

"Well, old people can't battle anymore," the beige-skinned girl countered. "They've been run dry."

"…Just let me have my moment, OK?" he grumbled.

"Well, Asher's not old. He's like, 21 or something," Yuri pointed out. "I'd say we ask him."

"Alright… let's go," the red-haired inkling finally conceded.

The Rainbow Squids got up from their table and started traveling to Geneva's apartment. Some time later, they all packed into the elevator leading upstairs. Though the mass of inklings garnered some strange looks from the apartment complex's residents, their trip went rather smoothly as they all excitedly sped towards the apartment their friend once resided in.

Roy took the initiative and knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, a green-haired inkling opened the door, his eyes widening once he saw the teenage inkling. The ponytail he normally wore was currently hidden by a Takoroka mesh.

"Woah, Roy, you've gotten tall!" Asher exclaimed. He stood on the tips of his toes to try to match his height, but he was still just a little bit short. "Very tall, in fact." The red-haired boy smirked at the remark. One advantage to his height was that he could brag about it. Geneva's brother looked pass him and then said, "You're all here, in fact."

"Yeah, that's because we have something to ask you," the blue-haired girl chimed in.

"Which is…?"

"So, you see, there's a tournament in town," Bonnie started to explain, squeezing in next to her tall friend.

"The Deca Tournament! The very first one, that is!" Yuri interrupted.

"And Off the Hook will be commentating it!" Perry added on excitedly. "The freshest idols there makes this contest the freshest of all!"

"A tournament…" Asher murmured. "Sounds fun."

"We have to sign up in teams of four, and with Geneva gone, there's only seven of us, so it won't be even without another member," Bonnie then continued.

"So, our point is…" Octavia proceeded with their request.

"Will you be our final member? Just this time?" Inigo finished.

"Are you sure you want me? I haven't battled in a year." The green-haired man scratched his head. "And I know how much ink battles have changed since then."

"The tournament doesn't start for another week," the indigo-haired boy then pointed out. "You can practice then."

"Well, I'd look out-of-place, too," Asher argued. "Most squids battling are 14! I'm several years older than them!"

"Oh, c'mon; don't let that stop you," Yuri protested. "You're never too old to have a battle!"

Asher sighed. "Alright, I'll join you."

 _Yes!_ Roy cheered silently. "Do you still have a weapon?"

"I have my Splattershot Jr., yes," he replied.

"Then let's go test it out."

"OK." Asher disappeared inside the apartment momentarily. When he reemerged into the doorway, he was holding an empty Splattershot Jr. in his hands, and he now wore shoes: punk whites, in fact. Nodding, all the inklings left the apartment complex and headed down to Sheldon's Shooting Range, back in Inkopolis Square. Soon, the young adult was holding a shooter full of ink in his hands, standing around as the Rainbow Squids, with their ink colors now matching that of Asher's, watched. Hesitantly, he pressed the trigger and fired at the target dummy until it exploded. The teenagers clapped at his achievement.

"Try activating your special," Inigo suggested.

"Don't I need to cover more turf, though?" the green-haired inkling pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what he meant," Roy replied.

Asher proceeded to ink much of the entrance hallway before his hair started to glow. "Alright, watch this." He walked up to the teenagers, and suddenly, a bubble-like barrier surrounded him. It was passed on to the other Rainbow Squids, who were pushed around thanks to the Bubbler's properties. The inkling with hair swept to the side glared at him, unamused from him using the special weapon.

"You know they banned Bubbler, right?" Bonnie spoke up after the initial shock.

"They did?"

"Yeah, they did. You'll get banned if you use it in the tournament," Octavia confirmed.

"So, what do I do now? Get a new Splattershot Jr.?"

"You can trade it in to get the updated version," the girl with the double bun informed. "It works with literally any weapon—even the ones whose new versions aren't in store yet."

"Fresh." The Bubbler's timer wore out, and the barriers around everyone disappeared. Asher proceeded to call for Sheldon, and the horseshoe crab came running over to the group of inklings. He handed the Splattershot Jr. to him and asked, "Can I get a new one?" The green-haired inkling smiled. "Please?"

"Sure thing! Just wait one moment!" Sheldon ran off back to his shop, and a few minutes later, he came with an empty, but brighter-looking Splattershot Jr. "Here it is! The new-and-improved Splattershot Jr.! Instead of Bubbler, it comes with Ink Armor, which you can use to support your team or make an aggressive push towards the enemy!"

"Alright." Asher picked up the shooter, and instantly it became filled with green ink. He ran over to the other section of the shooting range to cover it with ink. The Rainbow Squids followed him and watched as it quickly became covered in green. Once his hair glowed, he yelled, "Ink Armor!", and a green mist surrounded all the inklings. Quickly, they became covered in the hardened ink, their fierce eyes illuminated. The young adult proceeded to chuckle. "Reminds me of some old human thing."

"I dunno, I think it makes us look pretty intimidating," Inigo remarked.

"Nah, we look fresh in this, squids," Perry then mused. "I'd love to have this all day."

The Ink Armor wore off, and then the green-haired inkling started walking towards the exit of the shooting range. "Alright, I'm gonna go do a few turf wars." He waved goodbye. "Don't forget to sign me up!"

"That's the spirit!" Roy encouraged. At last, their problem regarding an eight member was solved.

* * *

On December 5th, hundreds of inklings flocked to Deca Wings, a park owned by the same people who own the Deca Tower. Located not far from the tower and shaped like a ray, it became a popular place to walk, hang out, or simply just relax following the renovations to Inkopolis Square. Notoriously, it is home to tons of pigeons that like to land on inklings' hair and bite them. The fact that people often bring food here does not help. Roy himself had only been Deca Wings a few times, though it had been primarily with his baskfishball teammates.

It was also not an ideal place for turf wars. It only contained one spawn point in the very middle of the park, and nature overtook much of the area. Despite the park rangers' best efforts, weeds still infested the sidewalks sometimes. Currently, a stage was set up behind the spawn point, where Off the Hook was singing. Several screens were set up behind the duo, and the central, largest one currently displayed a close-up of them. Spectators poured into the bleachers, while all the teams were directed to their own special bleacher.

As Roy sat down in his designated spot, he spotted a few familiar faces. "The Splatteruplets and that dualie team are both here," he whispered to the group. He also spotted some of his baskfishball teammates sitting together. He knew they formed a team of their own, called 'Poppin' Baskets', but none of them mentioned joining the tournament, not to him at least. He felt a little upset at this fact, but it was nothing to lose his temper about.

The last group to arrive featured a team of funny-looking inklings, but then he recognized one of the members. _Giovanni! These must be octolings, then!_ The green-haired octoling was not wearing the Octoling soldier uniform he wore when he first met him. Instead, he wore a green short beanie, a lime easy stripe shirt, and punk blacks, a familiar outfit. His team sat in the row in front of him, causing him to groan.

"Is that Gio?" Perry asked.

The aforementioned octoling looked over his shoulder to glare at the purple-haired inkling. "My name is Giovanni," he grumbled.

"Ya really don't like nicknames, do ya?" he teased.

"A nickname is not a name," the octoling argued.

"Is so!"

He sighed. "This is my team, the team that will defeat you," he introduced the three other octolings with him. "Their names are Oscar, Yvonne, and Iris." He twirled around the Octo Shot in his hands, confident.

"I am Oscar," said one octoling with an orange afro. He wore a black FishFry bandana, a Chili Octo Aloha shirt, and Annaki tigers. He had bronze skin like Octavia and Alexis, and though his afro made him seem taller, he seemed to be the same height as Giovanni in reality. He wielded a normal Inkbrush. "It is a pleasure to be meeting you."

"Greetings! My name is Yvonne," greeted another octoling with yellow pigtails, her fingers forming the shape of a heart. On the top of her head was a camping hat, around her body was an eggplant mountain coat, and on her feet were sunny climbing shoes. Compared to her teammates, she was considerably shorter than then, only being a little taller than Alexis. Interestingly, she had dark skin like Yuri, and she also wielded a splatling, hers being the Hydra Splatling.

"At last, my name is Iris," greeted the final octoling, who had poufy, indigo hair and fair skin, much like Inigo. Wrapped around her head was the squash headband, and she also wore a Takoroka galatic tye dye tee and violet trainers. She appeared to be Perry's height, and she wielded the Krak-On Splat Roller. "We win," she wished, her brow becoming furrowed. "No losing."

"Nice to meet you all!" Yuri greeted, waving. None of them waved back, instead giving him blank stares. He let out a nervous chuckle in response.

Before any more words could be spoken, Pearl let out a loud, " _Ahem_ ," tapping on the microphone. Everyone turned their attention to the idol with pink-tipped hair. "Y'all ready for this?" The entire crowd started to cheer. "Good, 'cause the first ever Deca Tournament is here!"

"Yeah, it's here right here, right now," Marina added, adjusting her headphone. "Already, Deca Tournament has broken records, with a total of 56 teams participating!" The crowd cheered even more. "To start, there will be 24 matches. Some teams will be sitting out until the second round." She snapped her fingers, and a huge bracket appeared on the screen behind the duo, displaying all the matchups for the first round. Reading it, Roy learned that the Warm Rainbow Squids, consisting of himself, Octavia, Yuri, and Alexis, would be facing off against 'Poppin' Baskets' first. He smiled. Knowing the team, he was pretty confident they would win.

"And after that, it'll be cut down to sixteen matches next round," Pearl continued. "Then eight, then four, then two, and then the final match to see who gets the cup once and for all!"

"If you want to watch, we provided screens here that rotate between matches every-so-often."

"Or, you can jump onto a specific launchpad and watch one match live. Booyah!"

"We'll let the teams go their specific matches first, and then you guys can jump in and watch."

"With that all out of the way…" Pearl turned to face the bleachers containing every inkling, and by extension, every octoling, participating. "The first round's mode is Tower Control! Let's go!" She did a loud clap, and 24 launch pads appeared nearby. The Rainbow Squids separated and headed to their respective launchpads. Roy looked over his shoulder to see the other team not far behind. He smiled and raised his arm to wave, but Octavia grabbed it, whispering to him that they had to go. He sighed and turned into a squid, super-jumping to their match.

The red-haired inkling sat in the darkness for a bit as he awaited his emergence from the spawn point. In the meantime, he starting thinking about what he could do. If all the stages were available for this tournament, then that meant he could be playing on any stage. Tower Control was his favorite mode—he loved jumping out at squids on the tower and quickly disposing of them with one shot of the Luna Blaster. However, some stages, like Snapper Canal, made it trickier to do so due to barriers like tight spaces and water.

A little later, Roy found himself on the spawn point and transformed into a kid, his eyes looking down upon Musselforge Fitness. In the distance, he could see the tower on top of the most prominent hill of the map. A few seconds afterwards, his team started shooting deep blue ink towards it. Via in particular had put the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau down to the ground, and she started running. The rest of the team swam in the narrow ink trail she created, following her.

When they arrived at the tower, the tan-skinned inkling emerged and started firing his blaster at the tower. He noticed a lime squid jump behind the pillar, and the track turned green as it started moving down the hill. The aforementioned squid transformed back into a boy with spiky hair and stuck out a tongue at Roy, patting his Custom Jet Squelcher.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling. This boy was Liam Thresher, a baskfishball player in the grade below him. Fittingly, he wore a home B-ball jersey and a jogging headband.

"Hey," the inkling with hair swept to the side greeted. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"We wanted to surprise you." Before Roy could reply, he swiftly received a blast to the back, splatting him. _And what a surprise that was._

When he respawned, he immediately super-jumped to Yuri, who was firing his Heavy Splatling Deco at the tower from one of the vantage points. He noticed Liam popping out of the ink on the top of the tower, who promptly started to fire at the dark-skinned inkling. Both Rainbow Squids dove behind the box to avoid getting hit.

"I'll take over from here," Roy whispered to his friend, twirling his Luna Blaster. _This is my favorite part._ He dove into the ink and swam closer. As the tower approached the box, the tan-skinned inkling ambushed the boys on the tower and fired a shot of his blaster before putting a splat bomb on the tower to finish the job. Another member of Poppin' Baskets, Carter Saw, managed to avoid the blast of the bomb, but soon he was pelted with blue ink, splatting him. He quickly realized which teammate splatted Carter—Alexis. She climbed up onto the tower, changing the track to blue and moving it away from the checkpoint. Roy decided to join her.

"Nice," he complemented, patting her on the head. She made a face at him, but said nothing more as they both hid in the ink. Octavia soon joined them on the tower, making it a little crowded. He assumed Yuri was not far behind. If they kept up this steady pace, it would be golden. They would have a KO as quickly as he can splat people with his Luna Blaster.

As they rode the tower, Carter soon appeared near the first checkpoint, Clash Blaster in hand. Once it was in-range, the boy with the ponytail began firing it, its rapid bursts catching the team off-guard. In response, Roy threw another splat bomb at his feet, causing Carter to stop his barrage and retreat momentarily. Wiping some green ink off his jacket sleeve, he dove after the opponent and easily splatted him once more. It was then a new figure appeared from the shadowy alley—Sebastian "Seb" Squal, a senior and one of the star players of the baskfishball team. Armed with the .96 Gal Deco, he threw out a splash wall and quickly followed with bullets. Already injured from Carter's attack, it only took one hit before Roy exploded into a puddle of lime ink.

Once again, the red-eyed inkling super-jumped to his yellow-eyed friend, watching the track turn the enemy's green as he flew by. With his splatling ready, Yuri stood on the middlemost hill, backing up as the tower approached it. From what he could see, it seemed like the sisters were splatted as well. He cursed under his breath and submerged into the ink, awaiting the tower's arrival. As it neared, he snuck around it and splatted the two inklings on it as part of another ambush. The tower track turned orange as they were splatted, signifying that no one was on the tower. He climbed on top of it, and the trail turned blue once more as it headed in the right direction. Via soon joined him on the tower, and they kept watch as it passed the first checkpoint.

"Wow," a new voice suddenly commented as they dipped down towards the lowest level.

Leaning against the wall was a tan-skinned inkling with hair slicked to the opposite side of Roy's, patting a Luna Blaster Neo. Like Roy, he wore a varsity jacket, though instead of a skull bandana and red hi-tops, he wore Squidfin hook cans and Annaki Habaneros.

Roy emerged from the ink on the base of the tower just to growl, "Wyatt." His cousin Wyatt Requiem had been his rival since childhood, imitating him in quite a few ways. They wielded the same type of blaster, they normally possessed the same ink color, and they were both on the baskfishball team. Wyatt was the hot one, but Roy was better in every other way.

"Nice seeing ya here," he jested, aiming his blaster. "It would be a shame if you lost."

"Not today!" Octavia leaped off the tower and swung her brush at him. He dodged the swipe and placed something on the ground as he made his escape. The wavy-haired girl continued chasing after him, the device lighting up as soon as she stepped on it. It exploded behind her, lime ink splatting onto her back and marking her with the thick black cloud that swarmed its surroundings. _Ink Mine._

With his cousin gone, the tower could hopefully proceed without further interruption. It halted for a few seconds in order to pass the checkpoint in the underpass, and once it was clear, it started moving once more. Roy wrapped an arm around the pillar, scanning the area for any incoming enemies. His eyes drifted up to the highest point of the stage, where he saw Liam respawn. He bit his lip. With how great the Jet Squelcher's range is, he could splat him without the red-eyed inkling even laying a finger on him. He could retreat, but doing so could allow the opposing team to take the tower again.

He watched as Liam dipped into the ink, the ripples marking his trail. "This way!" Roy then called, desperate for help. He curled his fingers around his blaster, filled with uncertainty. He risked a look over his back, to see what was happening. More ripples could be seen in the lime ink behind him, and the squid in it soon emerged with a bomb launcher, revealing himself to be Wyatt. He started hurling suction bombs at the tower, hoping to splat his rival. Roy flattened his back onto the pillar, hearing bombs go off behind him.

The bombs were not Roy's only concern, of course. Liam was still progressing towards him, and he was bound to pop out at any moment. The tan-skinned inkling started shooting at the area around him, hoping to garner enough points to activate his special. If anything could save him while keeping the tower at the same time, it was the Baller. Just as the spiky-haired boy hurled a burst bomb at him, his hair started to glow, and fortunately, he managed to activate his special before he could be splatted.

As the tower sped towards the second checkpoint, going up the ramp, he rolled the Baller straight towards Liam, knocking him over. At that moment, Yuri arrived, splatting Wyatt and covering the area in blue ink with his Heavy Splatling Deco. He winked and pulled out a bubble wand, creating three humongous bubbles with the Bubble Blower. He charged up the splatling once more, soon unleashing tons of bullets to burst the bubbles. They showered the entire area with their team's ink, much to Roy's relief. When the Baller expired, it exploded, covering even more turf.

Octavia had super-jumped to Yuri, putting her in action once more. She quickly hopped on the tower and began swinging her brush back-and-forth, creating a barrier of ink that could easily splat someone. Using the newly-gained turf to his advantage, Roy lurked around the area, submerged. Quickly it arrived at the third checkpoint, bringing the Rainbow Squids closer to victory. Carter appeared with his Clash Blaster again, jumping down to the tower. He threw a splat bomb at the tower, forcing Via to jump off it before she got caught up in the blast. Chuckling, he attempted swimming towards it, but then he received a swift blast to the back from the red-eyed squid and exploded into a puddle of blue ink.

The attack wasn't over, though, as Seb arrived and started shooting at the opposing team. It was then Alexis had super-jumped to Roy and started running towards him, pointing her Splat Dualies at him. Seb smirked under his streetstyle cap and threw out a splash wall before diving into his small spot of turf to fill his ink tank. The short-haired inkling sighed and started shooting at the splash wall. Roy looked over his shoulder to see Wyatt climbing onto the tower, turning the track a lime color once more. His cousin looked over at him, his sea-green eyes glowing with satisfaction.

"Get on the tower!" Roy demanded, running towards it. _I'll wipe that smug look off your face._ He leaped up towards it and fired his Luna Blaster. Wyatt put another ink mine on the tower and fled, much to his dismay. He growled and threw a splat bomb over the tower before climbing up it himself. The track turned blue again, and the tan-skinned inkling watched as Yuri backed up at the wall, firing his splatling towards Wyatt, who was walking up to him, firing the Luna Blaster Neo. With the Heavy Splatling's rapid-fire, though, his cousin quickly went down. With that, Yuri joined Roy on the tower, followed by Octavia.

Meanwhile, the splash wall Seb had put up broke, and now he was firing with the .96 Gal Deco. Thanks to his poor accuracy, Alexis easily dodge-rolled around him, firing at him with her dualies. Overwhelmed, his aim became worse and worse until she splatted him. After that, she joined her friends on the tower by the time they passed the third checkpoint. More bullets rained down on them, splatting Alexis and Yuri. Roy looked up to see Liam, who had respawned and now attacked with his Custom Jet Squelcher.

However, the boy's final efforts to stop them ended in failure, as the two remaining Rainbow Squids managed to push the tower to its goal, locking it in place. A whistle blew, marking the end of the game.

"Yes!" Roy cheered, giving Octavia a high-five.

"No!" Wyatt cried, joining Liam. He glared at him and scolded, "You should have used your burst bombs!"

"Hey, I didn't have time to think," his spiky-haired teammate argued, crossing his arms.

"I gotta admit, Blacktip," started Seb, walking up to the two and sitting next to him. He held the .96 Gal in his lap. "You and your friends are pretty good together."

"Hmm… I'm still better," Wyatt argued.

"Well, we beat you, so I'm better," the inkling with his hair swept to the side rebutted. As the cousins continued arguing, Octavia sighed, smiled, and shook her head.

Shortly thereafter, the two cats arrived on the tower with their flags. Judd and Li'l Judd danced per usual, and then Judd struck out his blue flag, causing the smaller cat to fall over on his back, marking the Rainbow Squid's victory. Some people cheered in the background.

"Nice!" a familiar voice then cheered. Everyone turned around to see the Cool Rainbow Squids, Asher, Bonnie, Inigo, and Perry, residing on an out-of-bounds staircase. Perry made victory signs with his fingers and added, "We're not down yet!"

"You won, too?" Octavia asked.

Bonnie nodded. "It was pretty easy, actually. We faced a team called 'Bamboozle!'. Everyone on the team had a Bamboozler."

"Spoiler alert: we won," the pale-skinned inkling finished.

"Our team was more balanced, wasn't it?" Asher mused.

The girl with glasses nodded. "Which is why we won."

"And we won as well," added a new voice.

Standing nearby were Octa Prisma. The new speaker had been Giovanni, a smirk on his face.

"Ooh, I do like that jacket," complimented Yvonne, who now held up the green-haired inkling's arm, marveling at the custom painted F-3 he wore. "Where can I find one?"

"I got this from Arowana Mall," replied Asher, an awkward smile on his face. "…But I'm sure you can buy it from the Galleria."

The dark-skinned octoling began enthusing to Giovanni in a different language, presumably Octarian. Gio replied something back in the same tongue, his tone harsh. Yvonne frowned as a result.

At this point, Yuri and Alexis had now joined the rest of the group. "You guys were watching?" noted the short-haired girl.

"We had free time," commented Inigo.

"You're movin' on to the next round, right?" the yellow-haired inkling asked for clarification. Everyone nodded. "Booyah!"

"And do not forget," Oscar started, "Octa Prisma will be moving on, too."

Iris looked up from a notepad and added, "And we will win this. We must."

"A little intense there, aren't ya?" Perry snarked. The green-haired octoling walked up to him and slapped him. He rubbed his cheek and mumbled, "Ow…"

"I am not becoming humiliated again," Gio snapped. "Not by inklings like you."

"Well, Rainbow Squids," started Seb, shifting everyone's attention to the inkling with the .96 Gal Deco. "Good luck."

"Do we obtain luck?" Yvonne asked.

He smiled. "…And good luck to you too, Octa Prisma."

"May the best team win," Liam added.

"Right!" everyone cheered.

"We should be heading back now," Asher noted. "The next round will probably be starting soon."

"Oh, you're right!" Octavia agreed. "We should head back soon!"

"How about now?" Roy declared. He turned into a squid and prepared to super-jump. "Last one there's a rotten egg."

"Hey, that's not fair!" The wavy-haired inkling super-jumped after him.

And with their arrival back to Deca Wings, the next round could commence at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Season 2! New friends, new enemies - there's a lot to come these next group of chapters. Who do you think will win the Deca Tournament? Well... you'll find out on Sunday, when the last chapter in this arc will be posted. For reference, this chapter is Part 1. Part 2 will be released tomorrow, January 4th, and Part 3 will be released Sunday, January 5th. Don't miss it!


	31. Make It Rain!

_Octavia's PoV_

Several rounds later, the Deca Tournament had arrived at the semifinals. There were only four teams left—both teams the Rainbow Squids were in, Octa Prisma, and a team called Walleye Workers. All of them had pictures taken before the semifinal announcement was put up, so all the teams now flashed across the screen, one-by-one.

Octavia assumed the Walleye Workers all worked at Walleye Warehouse. They appeared to be her age, and they all wore Squiddor polos. Otherwise, they seemed to be a rather balanced team. _Which is probably why they made it this far,_ she realized. If the Warm Rainbow Squids were up against them next, then they would have to try their hardest to win.

"Hey, Bon-Bon?" Via asked, leaning over to her blue-haired friend. "What if both of us make it to the final round?" She frowned. "We'd have to fight each other."

"Well, we can't just throw it. That's just poor sportsmanship," she noted.

"Can't we split the prize we get?" Inigo pointed out.

"Yeah, but the winner also gets bragging rights," Alexis added. "And we know who would brag if we win." She glanced over to Roy, who crossed his arms and huffed in response.

"And on our side..." began the indigo-haired boy, "that's also a little obvious."

"That's me," Perry admitted.

"Hey, welcome to the semifinals, Inkopolis!" Pearl suddenly greeted, directing everyone's attention over to the stage where Off the Hook resided. "We're almost at the end!"

"Isn't it exciting?" Marina reckoned. "But anyways, to the match-ups!"

The screen behind them suddenly filled in the bracket, displaying the match-ups. The Warm Rainbow Squids were up against Walleye Workers, while the Cool Rainbow Squids were up against Octa Prisma. Octavia glanced down at the stands to see Giovanni looking at her friends over his shoulder, smirking. It did not take long for him to return his attention back to the pop duo.

"The Warm Rainbow Squids vs. Walleye Workers!" exclaimed the pale-haired idol. More pictures of them flashed on the screen.

"The Cool Rainbow Squids vs. Octa Prisma!" the dark-haired idol then followed, even more pictures of the mentioned teams flashing on screen.

"This time, it'll be Rainmaker." informed Pearl.

"Ugh, I hate Rainmaker," Via grumbled quietly.

"So, good luck, and may the best team win!" Marina finished.

Two launchpads appeared beside the stage, and the remaining teams started walking over to them. When they arrived, the Rainbow Squids gave each other one last encouraging look before stepping onto them, whisking them away to their next destination.

Moments later, they spawned into Port Mackerel, and the whistle blew, starting the match. Immediately, Octavia put her bristles down to the ground and started running towards the center of the map, a determined look on her face. She was confident her friends were swimming behind her in the trail left behind, ready to back her up when the time came. They managed to reach the barrier first, so they began firing their weapons, making it expand and covering it in red-orange ink. For a moment it shrunk, and through the golden haze surrounding the Rainmaker, she spotted a turquoise trail straight ahead. It did not hinder the Rainbow Squids at all, as the shield soon exploded. Immediately Alexis charged towards it and picked up the Rainmaker.

"I wouldn't advance just yet," Yuri advised, his yellow eyes drifting towards the trail. He started charging up his splatling.

Via nodded in agreement. "They're probably waiting to ambush us." She submerged into the ink and began lurking around in the ink left behind from the shield's explosion. She opted to wear a sweater with Ninja Squid as its primary ability today instead of her normal one with Swim Speed Up, allowing more surprise in her attacks.

From the side of the clearing came some bullets, hitting Yuri's side. He swam back, abandoning his charge, and threw out a splash wall to block the incoming fire. He gestured for Alexis to go, and after a few moments, she fired a charged shot from the Rainmaker and began swimming, the glow marking her. Roy ran after her. Once the splash wall broke, the dark-skinned inkling started firing, and a male inkling soon screamed. Behind him, someone rose a Splat Roller.

Alarmed, Via emerged and started running towards her friend to push him out of the way. "Watch out!" she called. Yuri's lips formed an 'o' and began looking around. Unfortunately, by the time she got to him, they slammed down their roller, splatting both of them. When the two respawned, Alexis soon appeared after them.

"Where's Roy?" the spiky-haired boy asked the younger inkling.

She shrugged. "I dunno, but we gotta get moving." The short-haired inkling started swimming down the stage, and they promptly followed her. More turquoise ink covered the area now, and the light the Rainmaker emitted peeked above the crates. The wavy-haired inkling started meandering around the crates until she could comfortably catch the holder off-guard. A boy with a ponytail was walking towards the open area near the Rainbow Squids' base, charging up the golden weapon and firing as he went. Smirking, she ran up behind him and started swinging her brush, quickly bringing him down. The Rainmaker began to glow where he was splatted, and a barrier soon formed around it again.

"Over here!" she yelled. As she was swinging her brush, sharp ink suddenly pierced through her back, splatting her in a single shot. _Or not!_ she wanted to say as a response, but she had been incapacitated at the moment.

When she respawned, theories of what had splatted her ran through her mind. It had to have been a charger, but what kind? An E-liter? A plain old Splat Charger? Or maybe even a Squiffer? She recalled seeing a girl with a charger in the pictures depicting the Walleye Workers, but she couldn't remember which one it was. Whatever the case, she couldn't let them inhibit her ability to battle. She super-jumped to her sister, just in time to watch the Rainmaker shield explode in their own ink color. Roy picked it up, though he was splatted by another charged shot as he was swimming through the red-orange ink.

"What the heck?" Octavia muttered.

"Up there!" Yuri yelled as he pressed against a crate. Via turned around, and illuminated by the sun was a wavy-haired girl holding a Custom E-liter 4K Scope, standing on top of a crate. Her red eyes, one of which was covered by an eyepatch, were narrowed as she aimed. Seconds later, she fired and landed a direct hit on the distracted bronze-skinned inkling.

She cursed herself for not paying attention as she respawned and super-jumped to Alexis again. Admittedly, it was a miracle someone else didn't splat her beforehand. Meanwhile, the enemy team popped the Rainmaker shield again, and a boy with almond skin, who previously wielded a standard Slosher, picked it up. A girl with the Splat Roller threw out a curling bomb, creating a trail for him to swim in. They were heading dangerously close to the goal.

"What's our plan?" her sister whispered to her.

"Let's ambush them to get the Rainmaker out of their hands," Octavia started, "and then we take out that sniper."

"Why the sniper?"

"She's the biggest threat, with that good of an aim."

"Mm, I think my dodge rolls can confuse her."

"Not for long."

"Then why don't I be a distraction, and someone else can take her out when she's not looking?"

"That's... not actually a bad idea." The elder sister placed a squid beakon on their hiding spot and called her teammates over to them. "Explain to them the plan while I do this."

Alexis gave a thumbs-up, and then Octavia dove into the ink and swam towards the opposing team. The boy with the ponytail from earlier, who was revealed to normally wield a Splattershot Pro, was covering the turf around them. With the threat of enemy ink drawing near, she acted almost immediately, launching herself towards the boy with the Rainmaker and attacking him until he splatted. She smiled and changed her target to the other boy. Panicked, he threw out a point sensor, marking her with the swirling black arrow, before shooting at her. She managed to get a hit on him before she splatted herself.

She wasted no time getting back onto the battlefield, super-jumping to the beakon she placed and replacing it. She arrived just in time to see the sniper retreat from an incoming bomb, in which Alexis then went after her. She jumped from the crate down to the ground, backing up as the short-haired inkling closed in. She threw a burst bomb at her before finishing her off with a shot from her dualies. She then pulled out some Tenta Missiles, launched them, and continued inking the turf.

Behind her, the barrier blew up, and Yuri grabbed it. With a nod, Octavia put the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau down to the ground and began running straight ahead, creating a convenient trail for him to swim in. Occasionally, she looked behind her back to make sure no one was about to ambush them. When they reached the middle of the stage, Roy joined them.

"Don't you think Alexis's being a little too cocky?" he pointed out.

"You're one to talk," the wavy-haired girl teased.

Yuri emerged from the ink to charge up a shot from the Rainmaker. "What do you mean?" he asked the red-eyed boy.

"She's charging ahead, inking everything without a care in the world. With a team as good as that one, it's just too risky," he explained.

"Well... she's still new to ranked battles," Octavia defended. "She'll learn from this."

"I guess you have a point," Roy admitted.

"On the bright side, if she keeps this up, then we might just win," Yuri encouraged.

"Well, I like winning," he said, a smile on his face, "so, let's do our best to win."

They now arrived at the open area on the enemy's side of the base. Alexis was nowhere to be seen. The dark-skinned inkling fired a shot from the Rainmaker, with the boy with the Splattershot Pro jumping out of its path. He threw out a point sensor at them, followed by an Ink Storm. The turquoise cloud rained on them, the droplets creating a burning sensation on contact. They were forced to scatter. Roy went to the left, Yuri continued straight ahead, and Octavia steered to the right.

The sniper camped out on a side passage, steadying her aim. Via grumbled. _Bombs would be really nice right now._ She surveyed her surroundings, using a sponge for cover. The Walleye Workers had done a good job covering their turf back up from whatever damage her sister had caused. Suddenly, she felt a shadow loom over her, and she rolled out of the way just before a Splat Roller squished her. She swung her brush at the wielder's feet, knocking her down. There, she made a mistake and emerged from behind the sponge, making her an easy target for the sniper. She splatted and was sent all the way back to the other side of the map.

 _I really hope Yuri took the lead._ She super-jumped to her beakon again to shorten the walking distance and replaced it once more before moving on. Taking a side route, she placed another one for her convenience, and soon she arrived at the enemy's side once more. The shield had formed once more, its light poking out from behind the furthermost crate. She scanned the area once more, spotting Roy and Alexis at the other end. The former was soon splatted again, starling the latter. Via looked up and noticed a turquoise beam lengthening above her. She had an idea...

She made herself visible to the sniper, jumping up and swinging her brush to try to reach her. With some ink splatting onto her Squiddor polo, she looked up from her E-liter and began backing up, eyes widened. Regardless, she continued to charge it, the beam becoming longer. Octavia ran behind the sponge as the sniper was about to fire, seeing as it would absorb the impact. She heard the mechanical sound of the E-liter's fire, ensuring her safety once more. The bronze-skinned girl appeared once more to distract the pale-skinned one, doing the same method. Catching on to it, the sniper retreated, so Via ran back to the Rainmaker.

The battle to pop the shield was intense, the gold continuously expanding and deflating. The enemy had the advantage right now, but with Octavia now joining her own teammates, they could turn the tide. Pulling out some Tenta Missiles, she locked them onto the inklings behind the barrier and fired, the red-orange missiles quick to rain down on them. This move allowed the shield to pop, and several inklings screamed as they were splatted, whenever by the barrier or by the missiles.

"Grab it, Via!" Alexis yelled. "Now's our chance!"

Without a second thought, the wavy-haired inkling swiped the Rainmaker and ran up the ramp, towards the goal. Thankfully, the humongous explosion had painted the hill, allowing her to easily climb up it. She leaped up into the air and set the Rainmaker in place. It glowed as it locked in, and then a whistle blew.

"Booyah!" the Rainbow Squids exclaimed in triumph.

"Booyah, indeed," a new voice agreed. The almond-skinned boy wielding the Slosher walked up to them, clapping, followed by the other Walleye Workers. "You deserved it."

"Amid your...creative...solutions to take me down," the sniper added, "you guys work really well together."

"A solid team, really," noted the girl that wielded the Splat Roller.

"Thanks," Yuri said, smiling. "We are the Rainbow Squids, after all. But you guys were very good too."

"Guess I'll return the favor—thank you," the Splat Roller wielder replied.

"No problem."

"Where's the other half of the rainbow?" asked the boy wielding the Splattershot Pro rather sheepishly.

The sniper looked over at her teammate. "...You did read the bracket, right? Or at least see the pictures?"

"They're the own separate team," the Slosher wielder elaborated.

"Oh, yeah..." He hid behind the other boy once more.

"Well, we just gotta wait for Judd to make it official, now," remarked Octavia. She sat down next to the goal and started fiddling with her Octobrush.

Roy yawned and leaned against the bumpy wall. "I'm taking a nap after this."

"Same," agreed Via.

"Count me in," added the girl with the roller, rubbing her red eyes. "At least the Walleye Workers get to take a break at last."

At that moment, Judd and Li'l Judd arrived near the goal and started dancing. Judd struck out a red-orange flag, marking the Rainbow Squids as the winner of the match.

"Well, that's done and done," Roy stated. "Let's go back, now."

"Before you leave..." started the boy with the Slosher. "We should battle again sometime. It'll be really fun!"

"What Dominic's trying to say is..." continued the sniper. "We want your numbers."

The Rainbow Squids agreed, and the two teams exchanged phone numbers briefly. "What are your names?" asked Alexis.

"I'm Deadeye," the girl with an eyepatch introduced. "As you probably guessed, the squid with the Slosher's Dominic. The girl with the roller's name is Scarlet, and the boy with the shooter's name is Forrest."

"Nice to meet you all," Yuri greeted. "I'm Yuri. The girl with the brush's Octavia, AKA Via. The boy with the blaster is Roy, and the girl with the dualie's Alexis." The other Rainbow Squids waved as their names were called.

"Now can we go back?" the tan-skinned boy asked.

"Yes," replied Octavia. All of them transformed into squids and super-jumped back to Deca Wings. The bracket was already updated by the time they got back, much to her surprise.

When they walked back to the stands, they sat down and closed their eyes, trying to take a quick nap. A little later, Via heard footsteps approaching them. When she opened her eyes, she was met with her distraught friends. Bonnie had her head down, staring blankly at the Squiffer in her hands, while Perry was wiping tears from his eyes. Inigo immediately ran past them and sat down on the far end of the bleachers, facing away from them, while Asher was nowhere to be seen. Octavia brought the Warm Rainbow Squids' attention to the other squids, and as soon as they saw their faces, they gave concerned looks to each other.

"Guys?" Octavia spoke up, reaching a hand out for them. "Are you alright?"

"We lost," Perry croaked, setting his Sloshing Machine down and crossing his arms. "It isn't fair."

The wavy-haired inkling looked aghast. "You lost?" she reiterated under her breath.

"Then that means..." Yuri started, looking over at the other team that had arrived on the bleachers. Octa Prisma was chatting away happily. Giovanni looked over his shoulder and then stood up, smirking.

"We're facing _them_ ," concluded Alexis.


	32. A Thrilling Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Rainbow Squids are faced against Octa Prisma in the final round, Yuri finds himself lacking confidence that they will win.

_Yuri's PoV_

Yuri hated to see his friends in distress. When that was the case, he always tried to cheer them up, often by showing silly pictures, reciting funny stories, or saying to look on the bright side of things. But this...? He didn't think there was a way he could cheer them up this time. The Rainbow Squids were confident all of them would make it to the final round, so the Cool Rainbow Squids' lost took a hard hit on them.

 _But we'll win, right? To make up for it,_ he told himself. Unlike other times, however, he was unsure. If Octa Prisma beat one half of the team, then there's no saying they couldn't beat the other, either. _We'll just have to try our best, then._

"Welcome to the final round!" Pearl exclaimed. Everyone's attention turned towards the pop duo. "Hope y'all are ready!"

"This round's mode is Splat Zones," continued Marina. "And the map?"

A drumroll sounded before the giant screen behind them displayed a supermarket. "MakoMart!" the pale-skinned idol announced.

"Splat Zones on MakoMart, huh?" Yuri commented to his friends. "Not bad at all."

"We don't know what Octa Prisma's capable of," noted Alexis. "We have to be careful."

"Do we have a plan?" asked Octavia.

"My plan? Push ahead, so they'll have a hard time leaving their base," Roy suggested, folding his arms. He chuckled. "We'll beat them, I promise."

"There will be a launchpad for both teams to jump on when they're ready," explained Marina.

"Y'all can watch it live, or stay back here and watch it on the screen!" continued Pearl. "It's your choice!"

"We'll be commentating it live, too," added the dark-haired idol. "As a bonus, of course!"

"And remember: Don't get cooked... Stay off the hook!" concluded both of them. The crowd cheered, eager for the match to start. Off the Hook stepped up to the launchpad on the center of the stage, transformed into squids, and super-jumped away.

"Well, you heard her!" exclaimed the red-haired inkling. "Let's get moving!"

Before they departed, the yellow-haired boy turned to his friend. "Don't ya worry, Perry," he assured, "we'll win this match. And then we can split the money."

"I sure hope so," the other boy murmured.

The Warm Rainbow Squids walked up the stage, to the swirling circle that would take them to their next destination. Yuri eyed their opponents, who were approaching the stage as well. _We can win_ , he repeated to himself. The spiky-haired inkling himself turned into a squid and super-jumped with his teammates.

Moments later, he emerged from a spawn point with his team, and once the match started, they immediately cleared a path of green ink to the center of the stage. They managed to arrive at the same time as the other team, who aggressively pushed, too. The dark-skinned boy climbed up one of the central boxes, giving him a vantage point. He threw out a splash wall in front of him and charged up his Heavy Splatling Deco, aiming at the attackers. Within seconds, he fired, splatting Oscar with his Inkbrush and all. When his current charge finished, he had to stop and refill his ink tank. The splash wall broke as he was doing so.

Meanwhile, the splat zone was still contested. Everyone battled fiercely, purple and green ink flinging around. In the distance, he could hear a faint cheer, likely from the spectators. When his ink tank filled up, Yuri emerged from his little spot on the crate and charged up his splatling again. Before he could fire, he was splatted with a face full of deep purple ink. With the shot resembling a roller's vertical swing, it had to have been Iris that splatted him.

He would not let that faze him in the slightest. He swam back to the middle, just in time to watch Octa Prisma claim the splat zone. The jumbotron overhead displayed the counter, with the enemy's team score counting down by the second. He frowned, but they had to keep pushing forward. He charged up his weapon and approached them. He started to fire it, but then Oscar popped out of the ink to attack him with his own weapon. They splatted at the same time, much to Yuri's dismay.

The next time he respawned, Yuri decided to take a different route. He inked a path towards the sponge on their side, swam by it, and then inked the side of the stack of boxes to reach the zone once more. Climbing on top of the box, he noticed Giovanni, shooting the area below with his Octo Shot Replica. Once his splatling was charged up, he fired at him and quickly splatted him without him ever noticing. Next, he pulled out Bubble Blower and swung it around, creating three large spheres containing green ink. Though useful for inking, it unfortunately caused the attention to be turned to him now.

Iris scowled and ran towards the spiky-haired inkling with her Krak-On Splat Roller, preparing to swing it. He stepped out of the way of the splatter, and before she could land another hit, Via popped up behind her and splatted her with a few strikes of her Octobrush Nouveau. Yuri charged up his weapon and fired at the shrinking bubbles. _Huh?_ With help from the others, they burst, though he heard a girl cry out following the explosions. _Yvonne?_ Nonetheless, they managed to claim the zone for themselves.

"Booyah!" they cheered. On the screen above them, their team's counter now went down, while Octa Prisma's counter had a penalty added to it.

"We need to push ahead," Alexis demanded.

"No, we need to hold our ground," Octavia argued. "We can't afford any of us splatting."

"I gotta agree with Alexis," Roy spoke up, running next to her. "Better stop Gio and friends at the source."

"Well, if anything goes awry here, hopefully I'll have my bubbles," Yuri assured. Though he could play more offensively, he much preferred playing defensively. Besides, since Via was so adamant on staying, he might as well back her up.

The short-haired inkling looked between her friends and nodded with a smile. "Got it." Roy and Alexis ran towards the battlefield directly in front of the enemy team's base, while Yuri and Octavia remained on the splat zone, like they said. The spiky-haired boy prepared his splatling, just in case anyone decided to jump out in front of him. He heard something land behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see what it was. He could barely see a splat bomb, but it exploded and splatted him before he could register it.

When he respawned, he immediately super-jumped to Octavia, only to find that it was a bad idea. Immediately he was trudging in enemy ink. Oscar gasped as when he landed, taking a few steps back.

"Oscar!" he heard Giovanni yell. The octoling with the afro looked over at the boy with the mohawk, who was standing boldly on one pile of boxes. "Do attack him!"

"My apologies!" He started swinging his Inkbrush at Yuri, though he had already made a trail of ink for him to escape. He swam up an aisle, back towards his team's base. When he was safe, the dark-skinned inkling began inking the corner until his hair started glowing. Running back towards the splat zone with a Bubble Blower, he swung the wand to create three large bubbles once more. Once they were out in the air, he fell back to charge up the Heavy Splatling Deco. Once he released the charge, the bubbles popped and the Rainbow Squids claimed the zone once more. However, it was not without a penalty, as Octa Prisma managed to briefly claim the area.

The Rainbow Squids regrouped in the very middle of the splat zones, becoming more vigilant than ever. Alexis was quick to admit that her idea was a bad one, earning a 'I told you so' from her sister. They guarded each side of it, Yuri guarding the side closest to their base. Though, he had to admit, nothing much was happening. The others were doing a good job of preventing the opposing team from surrounding the splat zone with purple ink. He kept charging up and firing his splatling until there was no more turf left to cover. He set down the splatling and wiped the sweat off his forehead, but then he heard some whirring. Looking over his shoulder, an autobomb was approaching, so he panicked and fled the area.

Now, Yuri stood on rubber. He watched as a dark-skinned girl leaped into the air, a purple circle marking the area of impact appearing around her. The Splashdown created a whirlwind of ink, and he heard some of his friends scream. He winced at their screams, but now he charged up his splatling and ran towards Yvonne. However, by the time he got up the hill and fired, he found that she was gone, the only indicator of her presence being a shrill cackle.

"Alright, where are ya..." he muttered under his breath. He crossed the marker and into the now-purple splat zone. Suddenly, Yuri noticed ripples heading straight for him. He threw out a splash wall, and the attacker was splatted instantly, leaving a puddle of green ink behind. He cheered, but then a bullet of ink hit him right in his side. When he respawned, he noticed Roy was covering up some extra turf. He ran up to him, much to the tan-skinned boy's surprise.

"Woah!" Roy gasped. When he realized who it was, he relaxed. "Hey, Yuri."

"Hey," he greeted back. "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm trying to get my special," he explained. "A Baller should be enough to reclaim the splat zone."

"Got it."

He gave Yuri a light punch to his shoulder. "Can't give up now, can we?" The two laughed and went their separate ways.

The spiky-haired inkling decided to climb up the boxes that would lead him to the splat zone and camp out there. Since he was towards the enemy side, he would have to be careful. He watched two octolings swim around in the splat zone, ripples marking their presence. If he wasn't in the midst of a battle, he could have watched this all day long. Currently, they served as something to occupy his time while he waited for the chance to strike.

Suddenly, green markers appeared around the two. They immediately swam away, with green missiles chasing after them. Yuri popped out of the ink and started charging up his splatling. Its rapid fire allowed him to cover the splat zone right back up, allowing them to claim the splat zone once more. When Roy arrived, hair glowing, he noticed what had happened and grumbled. He still activated his Baller regardless and ran down the ramp, towards Octa Prisma's base.

What happened next regarding Roy was not good. The octolings jumped out at him and simultaneously attacked his Baller. It popped, and then he was splatted. The dark-skinned inkling gulped. _That can't be good._ All four of them started running back to the splat zone, weapons ready. He threw out a splash wall to hopefully give him time to gain just a few more points for his special. He covered up a few stray spots of purple and immediately pulled out the Bubble Blower. Before he could swing it even once, a wave of purple ink crashed down on him and splatted him.

Yuri respawned and ran back to the splat zone, where Octa Prisma had claimed it once more. More green markers appeared around the group, causing them to flee once more. Once the missiles had landed, however, they were back in the fray. Octa Prisma and the Rainbow Squids battled for control of the splat zone for what seemed like forever. Whenever someone splatted, it seemed like there was always someone to replace them. Yuri and Yvonne both proved the most resilient on their respective teams—long-ranged weapons were quite the advantage here.

Eventually, the Rainbow Squids managed to claim the splat zone. They all cheered, and the spiky-haired inkling jumped down from his vantage point to join his teammates.

"We did it!" he cheered. "We did it!"

"We actually did it," Alexis further elaborated.

"Time's not up just yet," Roy pointed out, glancing over at the clock on the jumbotron. Though the Rainbow Squids were in the lead right now, there was still at least a minute before the match ended.

"There's still a minute left?" Octavia marveled.

"We need to focus," the inkling with his hair swept to the side asserted. "Octa Prisma could still take the zone."

"And we gotta win!" Yuri added. "For the others. I promised we would win, and we'll do just that."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he challenged. "Let's go!" At that moment, a roller slammed down on him, and behind where he stood was Iris.

"You are talking too much," she said. The remaining inklings looked behind them, where they saw the other octolings inking the area around the zone. "You can no talk to win." After she finished her sentence, she activated the Baller, the barrier surrounding her as she rammed into them. Yuri and Octavia were knocked down, while in the corner of his eye, the former saw Alexis scurry away. "That is why we win," Iris concluded. The Baller exploded, splatting the two of them and allowing Octa Prisma to reclaim the zone once more.

When they respawned, the wavy-haired girl complained, "What a dirty move." The grip on her Octobrush Nouveau tightened.

"What?" Yuri asked.

"She knocked us down! We couldn't defend ourselves or get away!" she explained. "Just... ugh!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now." He sighed. "We just gotta keep fighting." He took a side route to the right of him, swimming down until he reached the ramp leading to an open battlefield. Instead of going down it, he simply starting inking the surrounding area, aiming to hopefully regain his special. He swept the area with green ink, splatting some people along the way. For example, Giovanni activated his Inkjet and tried to splat him, but, using the cover the box provided to his advantage, Yuri managed to defeat him by charging up his splatling first and then targeting him.

After Gio had splatted in midair, the dark-skinned inkling's hair began to glow. "Booyah!" He pulled out Bubble Blower once more and swung it, creating three large bubbles once more. He promptly popped them, allowing the Rainbow Squids to gain the splat zone once more. Yuri jumped down to it, and soon his friends super-jumped to him as well.

Immediately after landing, Alexis pulled out some Tenta Missiles and fired them. "There," she said. "That should ward them off."

The short-haired girl was proved wrong, as a stream of bullets started speeding by them. Yuri looked up to find Yvonne emerging from behind a box on her team's side, her Hydra Splatling firing. The young inkling grumbled and started running towards her, spinning her dualies, only for the octoling to change her target and end up splatting her. Roy retaliated by throwing a bomb at her, which caused her to retreat.

Looking over at the counter, Octa Prisma was currently in the lead. However, the Rainbow Squids were catching up. Once the penalty was gone, they only had a little bit to go before they would surpass the other team's score. In the meanwhile, the other team continued to attack them. Oscar ran up to them with his Inkbrush, swinging at them with lightning speed. Roy tried firing his Luna Blaster, but the boy with the afro simply danced around his shots. Yuri threw out his splash wall to protect him while he charged up his splatling quickly. After a second or so, he fired, aiming it towards Oscar and splatting him.

He smiled, and with confidence, he charged up the Heavy Splatling Deco once more. However, before he could release this charge, something slammed into him and splatted him. Luckily, he noticed Alexis arrive back at the battlefield, eager to engage with the other team. Once again, Yuri ran back to the splat zone. There, he learned that the Rainbow Squids managed to control the splat zone long enough for the penalty to be removed. In the background, the alarm sounding overtime rang.

 _Yes!_ At that moment, someone tripped him. He looked up to see Iris sticking a tongue out at him before she summoned the Baller. Yuri was left speechless and could only watch the following events. Giovanni, who was flying around in his Inkjet, rammed his gun into Roy's jaw, causing him to cry out in pain. Oscar and Octavia were chasing each other, and Yvonne joyfully cackled as she threw autobombs at Alexis. The Baller inksploded, coating the splat zone with purple ink and ending the game.

"No!" the short-haired inkling cried out, mirroring Yuri's thoughts.

The dark-skinned octoling still laughed. "That is fun! We should be doing this again, maybe with the Autobomb Launcher!"

"No games, Yvonne," stated Giovanni rather bluntly. He walked up to the splat zone from where he had activated his Inkjet. "Now, you see why Octa Prisma had defeated the other you team."

"You _attacked_ them as well?!" Roy roared. Though his speech was slurred, his fury still prevailed. "You _dared_ to hurt them?!"

"No!" Oscar cried out. "Their win not close!"

"Correct," the octoling with the mohawk confirmed. "We only take to attacking the you because you were very close to win."

"Know the best team," Iris concluded, throwing her roller over her back. "Octa Prisma."

"You..." Roy proceeded to throw a slew of curses and insults at the group of octolings, specifically targeting Gio. Octavia covered Alexis's ears, garnering an unimpressed look from the latter. Yuri rose to his feet and started waving his arms around in hopes he would get Roy's attention and calm him down. Giovanni simply kept a poker face at all of this, making it unclear what he was feeling. Yvonne and Oscar hid behind their friends. Iris initially had a smirk on her face, but her expression soon turned into one of fear.

Judd and Li'l Judd soon jumped down to the middle of the splat zone and began dancing. "Hey, Roy?" Yuri called. The tan-skinned inkling stopped and looked over at him, then at the two cats. Soon, Li'l Judd struck out a purple flag, marking Octa Prisma as the winner of the tournament. Roy let out a loud groan and threw his Luna Blaster down. "Roy?" he tried calling again.

"Leave me alone," he grumbled. He pulled down his skull bandana and wiped his lip. A bruise was forming where he had been hit.

"We need to get back," Via suddenly whispered in the dark-skinned inkling's ear.

"Right." He turned to look at his friend. "Hey, Roy... last one to Deca Wing's a rotten egg." He winked and promptly turned into a squid, preparing to super-jump back.

"Oh, we are needing to get the prize," the girl with poufy hair recalled, turning to her friend.

"The prize will make the win official," Giovanni remarked. "Octa Prisma, return to Deca Wings!" All of them immediately super-jumped away, followed by Yuri and the other Rainbow Squids.

When they arrived back at the park, they were met with cheers, though not for the Rainbow Squids. They were chanting Octa Prisma's name. The green-haired octoling waved at them as he and his team walked up to the center of the stage. The Rainbow Squids, meanwhile, found the others in the spectator bleachers. Thankfully, they did not join in on the applause, instead having dismayed looks on their faces.

They sat down next to their friends, and Bonnie muttered, "You lost too, huh."

"It wasn't fair!" Alexis cried.

"We saw," Perry said. "They tripped you squids up."

As if he suddenly remembered something, Inigo snapped his attention to Roy. "Are you OK?!" he asked rather frantically.

"Why would you think I'm OK?" fumed the red-haired inkling, pointing to the bruise on his jaw. "I'm obviously not OK!"

" _Ahem!_ " Pearl suddenly interrupted, tapping on the microphone. The crowd silenced, and everyone had their eyes on the stage. "It's the moment y'all've been waiting for—the winner of the Deca Tournament!" The crowd roared with excitement.

"Despite the...altercations...at the end of the match," Marina started quietly. Louder, she continued, "The winner is..."

A drumroll sounded, and the duo announced at the same time, "OCTA PRISMA!"

The crowd cheered once more, though they quickly went quiet as Giovanni walked up to the microphone to make a speech. "Hello, hello. Thank you." He cleared his throat and began, "I like to thank everyone that had support Octa Prisma since the Deca Tournament begin. As well, I like to thank the supporters of Octa Prisma we gain through the tournament. We are proud to win, and we happy are taking the trophy and the prize. Thank you." After he had finished speaking, Gio returned to stand next to his teammates. Yuri lightly clapped just to be nice, but he did nothing else.

Pearl took the mic once more. "Now, y'all may be wondering, 'What's the special prize?'. Well, the prize is..."

A drumroll sounded once more, and Marina announced, "Free tickets to our next concert!" Yuri heard various comments from the crowd after she revealed the prize.

"Woah, that's so fresh!"

"Dude, they're so lucky!"

"Only the freshest inklings get free tickets for an Off the Hook concert!"

"Aw, now I wish I'd signed up..."

"Now, bring out the trophy!" Pearl exclaimed.

Some jellyfish carted out a giant, golden trophy in the shape of the Deca Tower and presented it to Octa Prisma. The group posed in front of it as one jellyfish took their picture. Another picture was taken of Off the Hook posing with them.

"There's 100,000G in that ginormous trophy," the short idol informed. The octolings looked inside it and pulled out a handful of coins.

"Split it if you will," the tall idol suggested. Then, more jellyfish came out holding smaller, individual trophies and gave one to each member of Octa Prisma.

"In second place, we have the Warm Rainbow Squids!" Marina announced. Yuri and friends stood up and walked out of the bleachers, to the stage. The crowd's cheers almost matched the volume of Octa Prisma's cheer, boosting Yuri's spirits.

Roy pulled up his bandana and started walking up to the microphone to make his speech, but Yuri whispered to him, "Why don't I make the speech instead?" He expected the tan-skinned inkling to slander Giovanni for hurting him, so he didn't want to take the chance and ruin their reputation. His friend nodded, and Yuri approached the microphone.

"Hey squids," the dark-skinned boy started. He gulped as he grew a little nervous. _Maybe I should have let Via speak instead._ "Though we didn't win...um...I just want to say, thank you for supporting us. Hearing your cheers are worth it. And we'll gladly take second place." He looked over his shoulder. "Right, guys?" His friends were unimpressed. "Um...yeah, right," Yuri finished.

After he finished his speech, he returned to his place next to his friends. The jellyfish came out with silver ribbons and gave one to each member of the group. It read, 'Second Place, Deca Tournament, 2017'.

"Special mention to the teams in the semifinals—the Walleye Workers and the Cool Rainbow Squids!" The aforementioned teams joined the others on the stage to accept their prizes.

Deadeye from the Walleye Workers stepped up to make her speech. "I don't have much to say, but I would like to say thank you. Everyone did amazing, and we're glad we could make it this far."

Next, Perry took the stage to represent the Cool Rainbow Squids. "Yo, thank y'all! Couldn't have done it without ya, that's for sure. Though we didn't win, I'm glad the other half of the team at least got second place. It's the best we could do." The jellyfish gave the semifinalists bronze-colored ribbons for their efforts.

Once again, the crowd cheered, and then Marina took the microphone. "Once again, thank you all for participating in this record-breaking tournament! Everyone who participated, pick up your participation ribbons on your way out."

"We'll see y'all next year for the second annual Deca Tournament!" Pearl added.

"And remember: Don't get cooked... Stay off the hook!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And arc, finish! How'd you like that chapter? From here on out, I'll be uploading chapters on a normal upload schedule - every Sunday around this time. Stay tuned for what comes next!


	33. Trial and Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis just can't escape people mentioning the results of Deca Tournament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.
> 
> A good bit of Marie's and Sheldon's dialogue is taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

Alexis still scowled at the second-place ribbon sitting on her dresser. _We should have won!_ she complained in her head. _We were so close, but Giovanni and friends had to smush into little pieces!_ She dug her fingers into her hair and gave off a loud groan, falling onto her bed. She then sprawled her limbs out on the blanket, her mind still fuming with anger.

The door creaked open, and Octavia poked her head through it. "Is this about the tournament?"

The short-haired inkling immediately sat up and looked at her sister. "You know how unfair it was!" She then turned her head to face the foot of her bed. "They cheated; I'm sure of it."

"Geez, you're being as sore of a loser as Roy," she teased. "I mean, yeah, Iris tripped Yuri, and Gio rammed the Inkjet gun into Roy. They just played dirty overall. But still."

"That's not helping."

The wavy-haired girl sighed and joined Alexis at her bed. "Look, I'm mad about it too, but… it just happens sometimes." She put a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, I've had matches where my team lost like in the tournament before. _By one point_. But in the end, it's just another ranked match. Even in matches as important as that one."

 _Just another ranked match..._ The words echoed in her head, but badly did she disagree. It was not just another ranked match. It was her tournament debut! And her older friends were fantastic at ranked battles, even in the modes they hated! Meanwhile, Octa Prisma had just formed, with Giovanni's recent arrival in Inkopolis and all. Despite the octolings being trained soldiers, they barely dipped their feet in ink battles, and inkling culture, for that matter. It's not fair.

"You OK?" Via asked.

"I'm fine," she grumbled and then rose from her bed. "I'm going out."

"OK, then… have fun! Don't get in trouble!"

Alexis left her house and walked to Inkopolis Square where she found the grate leading to Tentakeel Outpost. _I need to talk to Marie about this._ She delved into the manhole, and seconds later, she was all geared up in her hero suit, faced with the greenery in the canyon. Marie was sitting on a bench when her starry eyes noticed her fellow agent.

"Hi, Agent 4," she greeted, straightening. "Something on your mind?"

She didn't bother to greet her back, walking up her with her dualies in hand. "You know the tournament I entered?"

"Yeah, I watched it," Marie acknowledged. "Your team lost in the finals, didn't they?"

The orange-haired girl nodded, avoiding her gaze. "You know who won?"

"Octolings," she replied. "Those slobs." She put her umbrella down and crossed her arms. "I was sure you would win."

"Not just any octolings." Agent 4's eyes narrowed. "The one that followed us out of Octo Valley formed his own team." Hate seethed in her voice as she clenched a fist. "I don't understand why they want to beat us so badly! They got their wish, but they still chase after it!"

"Well… you've seen the Octarians. They're pretty devoted."

"It's like they don't know how to have fun!"

"I know, right? And that's why they're not fresh."

The bronze-skinned inkling couldn't help but giggle at the comment. "Well… I guess I should be going to the next kettle."

"Yeah, you should. Sheldon's got his next weapon ready."

"Ooh, what's it gonna be this time?"

"I dunno. I guess we'll see."

Alexis simply nodded. Quickly, she turned into a squid and super-jumped across the canyon. She soon arrived at a previously-revealed kettle hidden by metal walls, though the absence of stickers on it marked that she had not saved the zapfish inside just yet. She looked upon the stone that formed a curled tentacle, thinking. Then, she nodded and slipped inside to access the Octarians' lair.

The dome she appeared in was filled with various contraptions, the panels surrounding her shining a green light on them. She shook some yellow ink off of her as a drone carrying a box flew by, dropping the box off at her feet. She opened it to reveal a decorated Blaster and picked the weapon up. _Guess I'm gonna fight Roy-style today._

"OK, take this with you," Sheldon started. "It'll help me gather some practical battle data."

"Alright…"

"Boom! Bam!" the horseshoe crab suddenly exclaimed, startling Alexis. "It's that crowd-pleasing face popper… the Hero Blaster! Even enemies behind walls aren't safe from the Blaster's exploding shots! It doesn't really do rapid fire, so make sure not to get splatted between shots."

"Ah, don't you worry," she assured Sheldon. "I'll be fine." She fired the blaster once, collecting the power eggs surrounding the launchpad.

"Use the blast radius of the Blaster's shots to your advantage," Marie advised over her headset. Using the launchpad, the hero leaped to a lower platform to be immediately met with crates blocking the walkway. With one shot, the boxes all exploded, allowing her to collect even more power eggs. At the end of the path, she was met with a shielded Octotrooper situated on top of a small vault, who began to fire magenta bullets when it noticed her.

"Get around those shields with the burst from the Blaster's shots!" the horseshoe crab then informed. Agent 4 proceeded to aim her Hero Blaster off to the side, damaging the Octotrooper as it exploded. After a shot or two, it was splatted, allowing her proceed without any issue. She noticed that behind where it was were three launchpads, all on the same wall.

The idol had also noticed this as she mused, "OK. Three lockboxes, three launchpads."

"Hmm…" She inked the right side of the wall and took the corresponding launchpad, super-jumping somewhere else in the dome. She landed on an elevated platform, where two shielded Octotroopers patrolled the area up ahead, their trail marked with magenta ink.

"Gotta play it smart to take out those shielded baddies," Marie noted. Alexis nodded and inked a small amount of turf for her to hide in as they passed. When she could see the back of one of them, she emerged to fire one shot, splatting it instantly. The remaining Octotrooper saw this and shot out a magenta blob towards her, but quickly became confused once she hid in the ink once more. Like nothing had ever happened, it continued on its path once more. Alexis splatted it before it could progress much, though. Then, the middle part of the arena began to rise, revealing squid rings and a hidden path underneath. "I…guess we're going down."

The short-haired inkling jumped down the hole left behind and quickly inked a spot for her to hide in while she observed the Octotroopers up ahead. On top of a bumper was a shielded one, while the rest were just normal Octotroopers. Quickly, she shot the Hero Blaster at the unprotected Octarians, splatting them quickly, while the remaining Octotrooper shot some bullets at her. She chucked a splat bomb over it, distracting it and allowing her to splat it. With that, she continued navigating the narrow walkways.

As she turned the bend to climb up a wall, she suddenly met the face of an Octostamp. She gasped and almost tripped. The stamp-like Octarian started waddling towards her, and she started running back up the way she came in response. It leaped for her, leaving its weak spot exposed. Alexis quickly disposed of it and then continued up the wall. At the top, she was met with two switches turned inward. She activated them, causing the stage to turn around, laying out a new path. It was like she had just super-jumped to a new area in the dome. _Guess I'll have to go the way I came._

As she walked back up, more troops spawned and blocked her way. "Hey, Marie," she started, aiming her blaster.

"Yeah?" responded the idol.

"Do ya think I can splat that Octotrooper without throwing a bomb?"

"Yes, if you angle your shots right!" Sheldon suddenly butted in.

"I wasn't asking you," she snapped.

"He's right, though," Marie pointed out.

Agent 4 let out a tired sigh and smiled. "Just a normal day, huh?"

The three laughed, but they were quickly pulled out of their brief moment of happiness when the short-haired girl's hero suit broke. Alarmed, she started backing up against the wall, holding her breath as the shielded Octotrooper continued to shoot at her. When was the last checkpoint? She couldn't remember. Regardless, dismay crossed her face, wondering how far back in the map she would be sent back if she splatted right here. She jumped over the blobs, and the suit quickly repaired itself to her relief.

"...Let's just use bombs," the grey-haired inkling advised.

"Fine, fine." Alexis hurled a splat bomb over the Octotrooper, causing it to turn around to look at it in curiosity. While its back was turned, she fired the Hero Blaster, splatting it. "Good." She swam up the path of yellow ink until she reached more enemies. This time, there were two shielded Octotroopers and an Octostamp. She stepped up to them and blew a raspberry, leading them towards the edge of the walkway. The Octostamp leaped for her, but she quickly stepped aside before it could hit her. It proceeded to fall into the abyss. Power eggs from below floated towards her a few seconds later.

Next, she threw another bomb over the Octotroopers, distracting them once more. She swam behind him and splatted one of them. The other one was now stuck in her own yellow ink, where it struggled to climb free. She was easily able to splat it and move on. Agent 4 broke some crates and climbed up a wall before stepping onto the checkpoint. Lying in front of her was a golden key, followed by a launchpad.

"Got the key," Marie said as she picked it up. "Next stop: launchpad!" Turning into a squid on the swirling circle, she super-jumped back to the central area, where the rightmost launchpad had lowered down to the ground. Next, the short-haired inkling climbed to the middle launchpad, launching her to another location. The first thing she saw when she landed was a Grappalink.

"You can use the burst from the Blaster's shots to reach the Grappalink!" Sheldon informed.

"Got it." She aimed her blaster at the floating object and shot it, and she flew to a platform with yet another launchpad. It led to another area filled with Grappalinks. She climbed up the wall leading to the first one and looked down. There was a long line of them, with only a small stretch land saving her before the end of the line. She bit her lip. Above the first Grappalink was a Sunken Scroll, though there was no way in sight to get to it. _I wonder what it says._

"It's all about the timing," noted the idol.

 _Here it goes._ Gulping, she fired her first shot and flew to the Grappalink, putting her in freefall. Realizing what was happening, she fired again, but it was too late as she fell into the abyss. She disappeared in a puff of yellow smoke, and she respawned at the checkpoint a few seconds later. Keeping Marie's advice in mind, Alexis walked up to the edge of the platform and fired again. She travelled to the Grappalink once more, and she fired the blaster again immediately after she transformed back into a kid. Her shot landed just above the next grapple, though it appeared to be too high, making her shot unable to register. Agent 4 fell once more, cursing herself for poor accuracy as she did.

 _Alright_ , she started silently. _This is the last respawn I got_. I have to get it this time! She ran up to the Grappalink and fired the Hero Blaster, propelling her to it. She started falling again, and moments later, she forgot to fire again. She fired upwards, hoping to hit it, to no avail. She disappeared, and soon the kettle spat her out like a sneeze. She flew out in the shape of a vaguely squid-shaped blob and quickly transformed back to land face-first on the grate. The short-haired inkling sat up and rubbed her face after the impact.

"Agh," Marie simply said over her headset. "You'll get it next time." She paused, and then she asked, "You wanna take a break?"

"Nope," the bronze-skinned girl replied. "I'm doing that level again, and again and again, until I finish it."

"That might take a while," she remarked.

"Well, I got all day." She dove into the kettle again, where she was immediately presented with the Hero Blaster. She snatched it and barreled ahead, not paying mind to any crates unless they were blocking her way. She quickly took down the shielded Octotrooper in the central area before taking the middle launchpad.

"You really want to get past this section, huh?" the idol commented.

"Yeah." Alexis fired her blaster twice to reach the next launchpad. "I can't let any more progress go down the drain."

She approached the Grappalink, eyeing it and the several more past it. She took a deep breath and began. She fired once, then twice, then thrice. When she went to shoot at the fourth one, she fired just a little too late, and she fell onto a thin platform. At the end of it was a launchpad. She walked over to it and used it, bringing her back to the beginning of the chain. Alexis simply grumbled and tried again. This time, all of the Grappalinks connected, and she landed on a higher platform.

"Booyah!" She walked down to the launchpad, where she found the key. She snatched it and launched back to the area where she came from. She unlocked the middlemost vault with the key she had obtained and activated the switch inside.

"Middle switch is on!" Marie exclaimed.

Agent 4 smiled, and then she took the right launchpad once more. She travelled through the area, obtained the key, and quickly returned to open the right vault. Once again, she fired at the tiny switch, activating it.

"Right switch is on!" the grey-haired lady then announced.

"Which means there's only one more!" Sheldon deduced.

"Good. I'm just about done with this place." The short-haired girl climbed up the left path in order to reach its launchpad. Her next stop was a catwalk, with a narrow, steep ramp directly in front of her. She climbed up it and activated the large switch. The paths in between the ramp rotated, allowing Alexis to continue. When she climbed up the next ramp, she encountered a Tentakook, waddling around in a circle. When it noticed her, it panicked and dropped a bomb behind it as it skated around.

Alexis jumped to the brick box in the center of the circle, and she observed the Tentakook. It still ran around, its panic only renewing with every look at the inkling. She aimed her blaster, and once she believed she could get the perfect shot, she fired. It was not the perfect shot, much to her dismay. Though it was covered in yellow ink, the Tentakook still stood. She had to fire it again in order to splat it.

"Going uuuup!" Marie cheered. The agent looked below her to see the block she stood on go higher and higher. It halted to a stop in front of a switch, which the girl promptly activated. It rotated down, bringing another circle to run around on with it. There were two boxes inside of it this time—one had a checkpoint on it. Alexis jumped over to it, where three Octocopters spawned. They immediately noticed her, spat out globs of magenta ink, and started flying over to her. She hid in the checkpoint to dodge the shots, and once they had past, she popped out and fired her blaster. All of them became covered in yellow ink, and one more shot took all of them out.

Suddenly, the block in front of her moved up. "The blocks are doing their creepy shifting thing again," the idol noted.

Alexis looked around to find nothing of importance. "...Where am I supposed to go?"

"I'm detecting a switch on the back of that block," Sheldon informed.

She walked around the circle, and soon she spotted a switch, right where Sheldon had said. "Hey, you're right!" She shot at it to activate it, causing a block back at the previous area to spin around.

"And now that block in the distance in the distance is spinning!" Marie marveled. The agent swam back to the tall brick platform to get in firing range with the spinning block. On one side was a switch, which she promptly activated. Some platforms in the distance started shifting over to where she was. She watched with curiosity as they moved.

 _It's not_ that _creepy..._ Alexis remarked in her head. _OK, maybe it is a little creepy._ Once the catwalks settled, she carefully made her way to the ramp leading her to her next destination and climbed up it. Some Octocopters were patrolling the area. When they noticed her, they began shooting at her. When the girl tried shooting at them, the exhausts on their hats activated, allowing them to effectively dodge her shots. _Ugh, that's annoying._ Alexis continued shooting at them until they finally splatted. With that, she could continue on once more.

At the end of the catwalk was a checkpoint, followed by a key, then a launchpad. After she grabbed it, she heard Marie say, "Key: check. Launchpad ahoy!" Agent 4 turned into a squid on the launchpad, causing her to super-jump away from the maze, back to the central area. The left path containing the launchpad had lowered, and the bronze-skinned inkling went to unlock the leftmost vault. When she activated the switch inside, a box rose from where the middle switch stood. It spun around for a little bit before stopping, allowing her to climb up it and use the launchpad on its back.

Alexis landed on a drop-off to a large, open area. She broke the small orange crate on the industrial Squee-G, revealing armor, before jumping on it. She picked up the armor, and instantly her clothes became more padded and protective. She adjusted her helmet and smiled before submerging in the yellow ink.

"Ooh, I see a key!" the idol exclaimed. Indeed, there was a key, on a platform in the back of the area. She threw out a bomb in front of it, causing the Squee-G to perk up and travel towards it. However, it got distracted and started beeping as it headed towards one of the many Octotrooper. All of the Octotroopers panicked and tried getting away from all three industrial Squee-Gs. In the end, none of them were able to escape. To her surprise, Alexis actually felt kind of bad for them. But in the end, she still had to save the zapfish. She continued throwing bombs towards the platform that would lead her to the key, and after a while, the one she was riding finally squabbled over there, allowing her to jump off and grab the golden object.

Alexis turned around and noticed one last Octotrooper, this one with a shield, on top of a vantage point. It noticed the inkling and shot at her. Neither side could reach the other. After a little while, she threw a bomb at the ground to attract one of the Squee-Gs. Once one arrived, she hopped on it and directed it towards the central block. She inked the side of it and climbed up it. Soon, she was face-to-face with that shielded Octotrooper. It shot twice at her, breaking her armor. At the same time, Alexis shot slightly to its right, the blast damaging it until it splatted. In its place was a launchpad. She stepped onto the swirling circle and flew to a place infested with flooders.

"Woah," Marie gasped. "What is this place?"

"Uh..." Alexis started.

"It's like your own private island," she noted. "Except full of deadly flooders." She sighed. "Callie always hated flooders..." The idol went silent. The inkling now just stood there, watching the giant machines whir by.

"Marie...?" she broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she told her. "I just... I just hope we find Callie soon."

"...Me too," Alexis admitted. She went up to the edge of the platform she landed on and sat down. Power eggs floated around in the distance, spinning in formations. "And the Great Zapfish, too."

"Right, right."

The girl got up and started jumping from block-to-block, aiming for the back of the island. She climbed up it and found it was decorated with fake palm trees. The sight was amusing, to say at the least. She collected the power eggs before turning her attention to the flooders. She waited for the ones with crates on them to pass by, where she promptly broke them, revealing even more power eggs. Finally, she hopped on one so she could travel to the highest platforms, where she found even more power eggs and even a ticket for the Crust Bucket. Alexis took one last moment to enjoy the view before stepping onto the launchpad to return her to the previous area.

Agent 4 landed on a Squee-G. She took the key out of her pocket and twirled it around her hand. She then put it away and threw out a bomb instead. She eventually guided it to a vault, where she jumped off and unlocked it. The vault opened to reveal yet another launchpad, and she stepped on it and proceeded to fly towards a small concrete platform framed by a neon octopus sign. Directly in front of her was a zapfish, positioned on the plug and surrounded by a golden barrier. One shot of the blaster broke the barrier, and the electric fish let out a gurgle. The bronze-skinned inkling leaped towards it and grabbed it in triumph.

"Finally!" she cheered. She proceeded to super-jump out of the kettle, zapfish in hand. She then started walking around, looking for Marie.

"You da squid, kid," the grey-haired inkling cheered. "Nice job."

Alexis simply smiled. She spotted Marie down in the ditch below and jumped down to her. She gave the zapfish to her and started walking back to the launchpad that would lead her back to Tentakeel Outpost.

"You done for the day, Agent 4?" the idol asked.

She looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah."

"The tournament's not getting you down, is it?"

At the mention of the tournament, memories of the Rainbow Squid's loss flooded back into her head. She could never forget Giovanni's look of triumph, having a smug smirk she wished she could wash off his face. Her clasp on the Hero Blaster tightened at the thought. "...No, no it's not." She crossed her arms. "I just wanted to use this ticket I found." Alexis pulled the Crust Bucket ticket out of her pocket.

"...Alright, if you say so." Marie folded up her umbrella and set it down so she could wave. "See ya later."

"You too, Marie." The short-haired girl turned into a squid on the launchpad, sending her flying back to the Cuttlefish Shack. Once she arrived, she immediately dove into the grate leading back into Inkopolis. She popped out in her casual wear and ran to the familiar food truck near where the Rainbow Squids normally resided.

"Woah!" Crusty Sean gasped as Alexis, out of breath, approached the Crust Bucket and slammed the ticket on the counter. "You OK there?"

"Yeah..." she replied, gripping her knees. She raised her head and requested, "Just... give me a Deep-Fried Shwaffle, please."

"A Deep-Fried Shwaffle? Sure thing." The shrimp went to the back of his food truck and got out the necessary ingredients. Alexis watched as he made the Shwaffle, carefully frying everything to perfection. Once he topped the foodstuff resembling a piece of tempura with whipped cream, Crusty Sean brought the Shwaffle out on a yellow-striped napkin and gave it to the inkling. "Peace!" He saluted goodbye as Alexis took the item and searched for a table to sit at.

At one table was a lone inkling girl with wheat-colored skin, short pink hair, and matching pink eyes. It was Audrey, Alexis's friend. The girl was texting on her cellphone, a bored expression on her face. The bronze-skinned inkling walked over to her table and set her food down.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Audrey looked up from her phone, and her eyes widened when she saw the other inkling. "Alexis?" she mused. "Yeah, of course!" The orange-haired girl sat down across from her and began eating her Deep-Fried Shwaffle. "It's been a hot minute," she remarked.

Alexis nodded in agreement. "I've been busy."

"Whatcha been up to?" the other inkling asked.

"Uh... stuff."

"Like what?"

"I just said, stuff."

"Battling?"

"I guess." Alexis scratched the back of her head. "So, what about you?"

"Y'know how I want to get S+ rank, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I got to S- in Splat Zones yesterday!"

"Ooh, congrats!"

"I know! Not much farther, now!" Audrey did some dramatic gestures. "Two more ranks, and I'll be S+ in one mode! This is great!" She pulled out a .52 Gal, faded marker on its barrel, and softly gazed at it. "Off the Hook signing my weapon really did bring me some luck," she whispered.

Alexis finished up her Deep-Fried Shwaffle and patted her belly. "Mmm... Makes me want to do some ranked battles."

"Well, I would love to battle with you, but..." The pink-haired girl sighed. "Your rank isn't very high."

"I know," she admitted. "I just like turf wars a lot better."

"Is that why you weren't happy at the Deca Tournament?"

"Huh?" A frown spread across Alexis's face.

"You didn't seem very happy when they were announcing the results."

"Well, I lost. _Duh_."

"Right, right... You sure there isn't another reason?"

"No!" she yelped. Audrey jumped at her exclamation. Guilt crept into the bronze-skinned girl's mind, and she started, "I..." She stood up and started backing up. "I'm... gonna go battle now."

"O...K...?" Alexis ran off, and her friend yelled, "Call me if you need me!"

The short-haired inkling ran into the Deca Tower and clenched her eyes shut. _Why do people keep bringing it up?_ She shook her head. _'It's just another battle,' Via said. Well, then it is!_ She steadied her hand on the railing. _It is, it is... it's not!_ She slumped to the ground, feeling something wet in the corner of her eyes. _Why does it keep bothering me...? I don't get it._ Finally, she let out a heavy sigh. _We should have won. But no, Octa Prisma_ had _to cheat._

Alexis opened her eyes and wiped them, looking behind her back at the elevators inklings crowded into. "Stupid Octarians..." she muttered as she headed towards them.


	34. Winter Fashion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Bonnie and Octavia accidentally buy an extra ticket for the Arowana Fashion Show, they now have to find someone to take it.

_Bonnie's PoV_

Bonnie and Octavia approached the ticket booth inside Arowana Mall. The former put out some coins and pushed it towards the lionfish running it. "Three tickets, please!" Bon-Bon requested.

"Three tickets for the Arowana Fashion Show?" the lionfish asked. They nodded. "OK." He took the coins, put in the cash register, and gave three tickets to the duo in exchange. The blue-haired inkling swiped the tickets, gripping them in her hand. "Have a nice day."

"You too!" Octavia called as they walked away from the booth. Bonnie ran her thumb through the three tickets, making sure each one she asked for was there.

The Arowana Fashion Show was a semiannual event held at Arowana Mall. Though the show does not garner as much attention, from both citizens and companies alike, as its much more prominent cousin, the Inkopolis Collection fashion show, it has the convenience of being much cheaper to attend. Plus, this year, it also happened to land on Geneva's birthday—they couldn't just not go!

"Who's the third ticket for?" the wavy-haired girl asked her friend.

"Ge... oh." Her blue eyes drifted down to the tickets she held. For a moment, she had forgotten that their green-haired friend was still on vacation. And to Bonnie's worry, no one knew when she was going to return. She wasn't answering their texts, answering their calls, or even posting on social media. "I guess it's for no one, then," she concluded.

"We could give it to Alexis," Via suggested.

"Why Alexis?"

"Well, she's my sister." She smiled. "And she's a Rainbow Squid, too."

"True." They met each other's eyes. "Wanna go ask her?"

"Exactly what I was thinking."

At Octavia's house, they were met with a 'no' from Alexis, much to their dismay.

"Why not?!" her older sister cried.

"I... promised my friend I would hang out with her tomorrow," the short-haired girl answered. "I'd hate to change my plans."

"Aw..." Bonnie muttered, disappointed. She whispered to Via, "Who are we gonna ask now?"

"Well... we'll just look around," she whispered back.

The two left the house and walked back towards Inkopolis Square. They stopped in front of the tower and looked around. Bonnie then saw Fable, sitting on a bench outside it. The violet-haired inkling was playing a game on her phone.

"Hey, Fable!" Octavia called.

Fable paused to look up at them, and then she stood up. "Hi!"

"We were wondering..." the orange-haired girl started.

"Would you like to come to the Arowana Fashion Show with us?" the blue-haired girl finished the question. She waved the tickets around.

"When is it?" the fair-skinned inkling asked.

"Tomorrow," the bronze-skinned inkling replied, "after school."

"Sorry," she started, "but I have choir practice tomorrow." Bonnie pouted at her response. "If I didn't, I'd love to come!"

"It's OK," the beige-skinned inkling told Fable. "We understand." She looked over at Via. "Right?"

"Right," affirmed her friend.

"I'll see you guys at school tomorrow!" she exclaimed as they departed.

"You too," Octavia replied back. After they went deeper into the street, she let out a sigh. "Who're we gonna ask now?"

"We can ask that jellyfish," the girl with the double bun suggested, pointing to one wearing a white tee. She walked up to them, kneeled down, and asked, "Do you wanna go to the Arowana Fashion Show?" The jellyfish shook their head, and Bonnie frowned in response. She stood up and shrugged towards Via.

"WAIT!" the wavy-haired girl suddenly exclaimed. "I got an idea!"

"What?" the other asked.

"We go ask Maya!"

"Maya?" The funny-looking inkling was in Bonnie's math class—she never seemed too keen on the latest trends.

"Y'know... black-and-purple hair, blue eyes..."

"Yeah I know what she looks like; I was just surprised you brought her up."

"Oh..." For a moment, Via looked a little disappointed, but she quickly perked back up again. "So, anyways, we go and drive to her house..."

"Can't we ask her tomorrow at school?" Bonnie interrupted with a question.

"But what if she isn't here tomorrow?" she argued. "Not gonna lie, though, I wanna see if she cleaned it up, too."

"What does...?" The kid with the double bun shook her head. "Y'know, let's go."

The two inklings travelled back to the orange-haired girl's house, where they took her car and drove it down towards Perry's mansion. They stopped in front of a building in slightly-worse shape than the ones around it. Scents of freshly-cut grass lingered in the air. The porch of it appeared to have been repaired lately, the wood looking sharp with a new coat of paint. Octavia's mouth formed an 'o' when she saw it, and as soon as she parked it, she leaped out of the car and ran up the steps. Bonnie trailed behind her, hands clasped. The girl eagerly rang the doorbell.

"It is open!" she heard Maya yell from inside.

Via turned the doorknob and opened it, accompanied with a creak. They stepped inside the house, where they saw the funny-looking inkling lounging on a couch, reading a book. Her dull blue eyes looked up the pages and met the eyes of the newcomers.

Maya turned her body so she would take up less room and then patted the cushion of the couch. "Come join me," she requested.

The two girls sat down, Octavia next to Maya, Bonnie next to Octavia. "What book you're reading?" the beige-skinned inkling asked, leaning over to see the cover.

"It is called, 'The Plight of the General'." She focused her eyes on the pages again. "It is about the struggles of General Octin during the Great Turf War."

"General Octin..." Bonnie murmured, searching her memory. "He's an Octarian general, right?"

"Why're you reading about him?" asked Via.

"I like the history," she replied. She put a purple bookmark in it and closed it before turning to the orange-haired inkling. "You know, since I meeted you, I have wondered why your parents named you 'Octavia'."

"Me too," the other admitted. "But, my dad is a historian." She chuckled, lying back into the cushions. "I guess he was looking into the Great Turf War when he had me."

"To speak of historians..." Maya flipped to the beginning of the book, looking at the copyright information. "Is the first name of your dad Dwight?"

Via bit her lip. "Yeah... why?"

"I believe he wrote this book." The funny-looking inkling showed her the cover of it. It depicted an illustration of the Octarian general, the title and author in bold letters. "Published 2002."

"'Dwight Bobatal'," she read. "Yeah, that's my dad alright."

"I knew your dad had a few books," Bonnie commented, looking at the wavy-haired girl, "but I didn't know he wrote something on the Great Turf War."

"I think I remember him telling me about that book," she started to explain. "He said he wanted to research more into the Octarians during that war, so he picked out one person of importance, researched them, and shared his findings. The end result was a controversial book." She shivered. "Sometimes I go get the mail, and I see a hate letter to my dad in it."

 _Ouch..._ The blue-haired girl figured the controversy was the reason why she didn't know about it. Still, she couldn't help but feel bad for him. _I wonder if he released it today, how things would be different._

"Well... please tell your dad I like this book, then." Maya smiled. "It is well written."

"I will," Via promised. "But that's not why we're here."

"Oh?" The girl tilted her head, curious.

Bon-Bon pulled the tickets out of her pocket. "We accidentally bought an extra ticket for the Arowana Fashion Show tomorrow," she explained.

"How do you 'accidentally' buy an extra ticket?" she requested, her tone becoming darker.

"We..." She pulled her knees to her chest in fear of backlash from Maya.

Octavia put a hand on the beige-skinned girl's shoulder and finished, "We forgot Geneva was on vacation, alright?" Her orange eyes met Bonnie's, and she smiled.

"Who is Geneva?" the funny-looking inkling with light brown skin asked.

"Geneva's our friend!" Via exclaimed. "She might look mean at first glance, but she's actually a very nice squid."

The blue-haired inkling brought her knees down and pulled out her phone. "Here's a picture." She pulled up a group photo of the Rainbow Squids, pointing to the fair-skinned girl in the very front. Taken the day of their last turf war with Geneva, they had all super-jumped on top of some buildings to snap it. While most everyone had a large grin on their face, Bonnie wore a sheepish smile, while Perry, not surprisingly, was sticking his tongue out at the camera. Alexis even tried joining in, squeezing in on the bottom of the picture. The green-haired inkling had sent it to them all through a group chat. It was the last reminder of Geneva, for now, anyways.

Maya's eyes had widened upon seeing the photo. "I think I have seen her before," she confessed.

"Where?" Octavia suddenly inquired.

"Ehh..." She scratched the back of her head. "I do forget."

Both inklings sighed. "But, still," Via continued. "You wanna go with us?"

"I suppose," the funny-looking inkling agreed. "I do not have anything else planned."

"Yay!" she cheered.

Bonnie handed a ticket to Maya. "See you tomorrow."

"You are going to leave?" she questioned.

"Umm..." the blue-haired girl muttered.

"Can you not stay for a while?"

"Umm..."

"It is lonely."

"Ohh, alright..." Bonnie conceded.

Maya smiled. "Would you like tea?"

"I like coffee better," Octavia protested.

"I do not drink coffee," she pointed out.

"Oh, fine," she grumbled. "I'll drink leaf water." The other two stared at the wavy-haired girl, unimpressed. "Hey, I'm not wrong!" she defended.

The girl with light brown skin went and fetched them all hot green tea. She turned on the TV in the living room, and they all watched live turf war matches while they drank their tea. Alexis even popped up in one of the matches, garnering loud cheers from Octavia. Several hours past, and at nightfall, Via and Bonnie decided to leave.

"Bye, Maya!" Octavia exclaimed.

"Don't forget about the fashion show!" Bonnie added.

"Do not worry," she called back. "I have a good memory."

* * *

The next day, the reception at Arowana Mall was packed. The two girls leaned against the wall, waiting for their funny-looking friend to arrive. Soon, they heard footsteps approaching them. They looked up, but instead of seeing Maya, they saw two familiar octolings instead. Two familiar octolings Bonnie did not want to see.

Even though Yvonne normally wore an eggplant mountain coat, today she wore a custom painted F-3—the same jacket Asher wore the day of the tournament. She recalled the yellow-haired girl's curiosity over the jacket and figured she bought it some time afterwards. A squid hairclip was stuck to the left side of her hair, and she wore N-pacer Au shoes today. A dumb smile was plastered on her face as she curled one tentacle in her pigtail around her finger.

Iris still wore a squash headband, though her other clothes were different. She impatiently tapped her deepsea leather boots on the ground, the shoes shining in the fluorescent light. Matching her blue boots was a Firefin navy sweat she wore around her body. Interestingly, the fair-skinned girl also had a white scarf draped around her neck. A tag with Splash Mob's logo could be seen hanging off of it. She folded her arms as she smirked at the two inklings.

"You here," Iris sneered. "Why?"

"...The same reason as you," Bon-Bon replied. "The Arowana Fashion Show... It's today, y'know."

"Why are you not in the line?" Yvonne asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"We're waiting for a friend," Octavia replied.

Blue eyes searched the area, and in the corner of her eye she saw Maya, walking around aimlessly. "Hey, Maya!" Bonnie called to get her attention. The funny-looking inkling stopped and looked around. The wavy-haired inkling seemed to notice her arrival and started waving her arms around. Quickly, she ran over to them and greeted them.

" _Her?_ " the octoling with indigo hair chided.

Maya looked over at Iris, then the two inklings, her mouth gaping.

"You know her, Iris?" Via asked.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"She stealed my brush one time," Maya spoke up.

"I the give it to the back."

"No, there was several people searching for it. They finded it in your quarters."

"I had will of give it to you if they no did find it first."

"You know, I would love it if we got in line just about now," Bonnie interrupted.

"Agree, I want a seat good," Yvonne concurred.

The two girls gave glares at each other before returning their attention to their respective companions. They nodded, and they got in line to enter the room where the fashion show will be held. Iris and Maya continued arguing while the others watched them awkwardly. When they got to the ticket counter, they simply gave their tickets to them, and they were promptly let in. The two groups ended up sitting next to each other on the back end of the auditorium.

Bonnie looked over at Iris and Yvonne, and suddenly, a memory from the tournament came to mind. The blue-haired inkling was carrying the Rainmaker down Walleye Warehouse, her watchful eyes scanning the eyes for any member of the opposing team. It was a clear path to the goal—she could win this for the team. With newfound confidence, she had raced towards the hill, but then, a roller slammed down on her. She splatted, and immediately Octa Prisma had claimed the Rainmaker. Giovanni grabbed the Rainmaker, and with the full support of his team, he easily made his way to the goal. The Rainbow Squids had him surrounded, but it was too late as the Rainmaker set in place. From the hill, Gio began laughing, and he was quickly joined by Iris.

Hearing their scorching laughter made her feel like a failure—she had failed to take the win for her team, and now everyone would suffer because of it. For the next half hour or so, it was like she was a ghost. Her body simply dragged her through the events of the day, her mind tired and begging for rest. All of her words felt empty as she spoke. For the most part, all she could do was look at her New Squiffer. One of the few things that brought her comfort.

"Bonnie?" Octavia muttered in her ear. "You OK?"

"I'm fine," she assured.

Someone tapped on the microphone, and everyone brought their attention to the sea anemone standing on the edge of the gleaming catwalk. "Welcome to the forty-fourth biannual Arowana Fashion Show!" she announced. "We have quite the line-up today from your favorite brands." She pulled out some cards and read, "First up, we have the daring new stars of fashion, Annaki!"

The crowd cheered as a jellyfish model walked out on stage. Matching the jellyfish's color, they wore an elongated prune parashooter and an Annaki mask, doing a few poses before walking back behind the stage. Another model came out, this one an inkling. The emphasis seemed to be on her shoes, which were studded with metal adornments. The boots matched the bracelet that came with the Annaki polpo-pic tee. The crowd ogled over the shoes in curiosity. Bonnie wasn't all too interested herself—but if a trend came off of this showing, then she might just have to buy them. The inkling model struck a pose in such a way that highlighted the shoes, remaining for a few seconds. She then turned around and strutted backstage.

"Next, this brand has exploded in popularity over the last few years with their sportswear. You guessed it—it's Enperry!"

The jellyfish model that came out also wore a face mask—this one the King mask. Covering their eyes were some sunglasses with the Enperry logo on the frame. Once they were at the end of the catwalk, they stretched, highlighting the white King tank they also wore. They wore multiple bracelets, each a different color. The jellyfish saluted goodbye and walked backstage. The next model to walk out was a spider crab, not unlike Bisk, the operator of Shella Fresh. They wore a variety of shoes of their many legs, all tennis shoes of many different colors. The crab also wore a slash King tank. They struck various moves before heading back.

"Our next brand is a classic—it's SquidForce, coming down the runway!"

The next jellyfish wore rather simple clothing, sporting only a white tee. Very few people cheered, with most being disappointed. The jellyfish looked around nervously and quickly left. They were replaced by another jellyfish model, wearing more interesting clothing. Their shirt was patterned with the SquidForce logo, and they wore a Squid facemask as well. A painter's mask hung off of their arm, which they held up while striking a bold pose. They retired to backstage, and out came another inkling model. He wore a camo layered LS. Once he arrived at the end of the walkway, he took the shirt he wore off, revealing another shirt underneath. He continued taking off shirts until he was down to his last shirt, where he then bowed. Some jellyfish came along to pick up the shirts as he walked back.

"This brand is especially known for its outdoor wear. Please welcome Inkline to the stage!"

This jellyfish wore a chilly mountain coat and a Yamagirl beanie. Around the collar of the coat was a thick scarf, which Bonnie found fitting. Once again, they struck more poses before walking back up the runway.

At this time, Bonnie was trying not to fall asleep. She rested her head in her hand, leaning back in her chair and throwing her legs up on the seat in front of her. Though she liked looking in fashion magazines and seeing the latest outfits online, attending actual fashion shows seemed boring at times. This one seems to be rather underwhelming this time. But, it would be rude to leave in the middle of the show. All she could do was just sit here and wait.

"Hey, Bon-Bon," Octavia whispered, prodding her arm. "Look at this!"

"Huh?" The blue-haired girl put her feet down and leaned forward in her seat, looking at the model on the catwalk. The inkling girl wore a Takoroka windcrusher, some shutter shades, and crazy arrows. She pulled the shutter shades down the bridge of her nose, highlighting the bold eyelashes she sported, and gave a toothy smirk. The crowd went wild. A few people up in the front threw flowers onto the catwalk, while Bonnie heard someone else scream, 'I love you!'.

"And that's the end of the Arowana Fashion Show!" the sea anemone announced. "Thank you all for coming, and we hope to see you in the summer!" The lights in the auditorium flickered on, and multiple people got up from their seats.

"That is it?" Maya muttered.

"I so-so want to buy the glasses now!" Yvonne exclaimed. "It look the fresh on the Takoroka girl."

"Me too," agreed Iris.

Bonnie closed her eyes, smiling, and adjusted her glasses. "Looks like I'm gonna have to get out my contacts, then."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Octavia asked. "There's a ton of stores in this mall. We can buy one right now!"

"You're right, let's go!"

"You wanna come, Maya?" Via asked the funny-looking inkling. She nodded. "Great!"

The three ran out of the reception, towards one of Takoroka's exclusive shops in the mall. As expected, it was packed, and shutter shades were selling out fast. The girls tried on various shades, all with the company's logo somewhere on the frame. They walked out of the shop with new shades and smiles on their faces.

If anything, at least one new trend came out of the fashion show.


	35. A Blast to the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon seeing a DVD containing matches the Squid Sisters have battled in, Inigo recalls the time he battled with the Squid Sisters.

_Inigo's PoV_

After school one day, Octavia, Alexis, and Inigo decided to shop in a video store to look for a movie to watch for the night. All the Rainbow Squids were coming over to Inigo's place, and their plan was to just make some popcorn, squeeze onto the comfy couch, and relax as the scenes flicked by. As video stores became increasingly rare, they decided it was best to go here today so they wouldn't make a permanent investment.

As they scored the aisles for something interesting, something caught Inigo's eye. He stopped and backed up to the compelling case to absorb the details on it. The DVD cover depicted the Squid Sisters holding their signature weapons, the Hero Roller and the Hero Charger. It was titled, 'Battles with the Squid Sisters', with the subtitle being, 'Yep, every single battle!'.

"Whatcha looking at?" Via asked, backing up to join him in his examination of the cover. Her eyes widened as she read it more. "Oh! 'Battles with the Squid Sisters'? I didn't even know they recorded them!"

"So that means…" Inigo started, trailing off as the realization hit him. "I'm in one of these clips."

"Wait, you battled with the Squid Sisters once?!" Alexis burst out in surprise. "I didn't know this!"

"Yeah." The inkling with indigo hair glanced off to the side and put a steady hand on his cheek. "With Geneva. We'd only been dating for a little while when we battled with them."

"I remember you telling us about it," the wavy-haired girl remarked. She nudged her sister. "You should have seen the look on Roy's face when they told them!"

"Could you tell me the story, Inigo?" the short-haired inkling asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Please?"

"Alright, alright. So, it was a few weeks before the Callie vs. Marie Splatfest…"

_Hands clasped together tightly, the couple entered one of the empty elevators in Inkopolis Tower with their weapons in their free hands. They only needed a smile to assure each other that no matter what happens, they won't let defeat faze them. After a few moments of staring at each other intently, they burst out in laughter, letting go of each other's hands to get a hold on the railing. Inigo could see the sparkle in Geneva's green eyes as she looked up and beamed at him._

_A little later, some more inklings filled the elevator. Some were cocky, while others hung off to the side, refusing to talk to anyone. Regardless, Inigo and Geneva remained in their own little bubble, passionately chatting with each other._

_A silence soon fell over the room when two figures with dazzling outfits and starry yellow eyes walked in. The one with long black hair threw a Hero Roller over her shoulder, smiling confidently as she waved at the inklings. The other one, with short grey hair, gave an awkward smile as she set her Hero Charger down to the ground like a cane and waved. Inigo could recognize these two girls from anywhere—they were Callie and Marie from the one and only Squid Sisters._

_"Hey, squids!" Callie greeted. "Ready to have some fun?"_

_"Callie!" screamed one of the social inklings, a boy with orange hair hidden under a straw boater. He grabbed her arm and kissed her hand. "I'm your biggest fan!"_

_A look of discomfort flashed on the black-haired idol's face before she bubbled, "Aw, thanks! You staying fresh?"_

_"Heck yeah I am!"_

_"Hey, Marie," greeted another inkling, a girl with navy blue hair and Octoglasses situated on the top of her head. "I just wanna say, I'm a really big fan of your music."_

_"Thanks," thanked the grey-haired idol. "I appreciate it."_

_"Can you sign my Slosher, Marie?" asked another girl wearing a snorkeling mask, holding her Slosher out in front of her._

_"I could, if I had a pen," she remarked._

_"Aw…"_

_The elevator doors close and it started to descend, soon leading to the grates below them to open up so they could travel to their location. During the time waiting, the other inklings pounded the Squid Sisters with questions, some general, some more personal than others. Inigo himself wanted to ask a question, but Geneva simply grabbed his hand and shook her head no. Following along with her decision, he sighed and leaned again the wall, fiddling around with his Carbon Roller while he waited._

"I actually don't remember much of the battle myself," the Inigo in the present day remarked. "I know it was in Walleye Warehouse… and that we won… but that's the most I can think of right now."

"Did you guys kiss?" the younger inkling suddenly popped in.

"No… that was later," he replied.

 _"Aw, man, we gotta return these shirts now," Inigo grumbled, looking down at the Team Marie Splatfest Tee he was wearing._ The last time I'll ever wear this.

_"I mean, we could smuggle them," Geneva teased. "Or buy them off the black market."_

_"What, no! Can't we be law-abiding citizens?"_

_"I'm joking, Inigo. I'm not stealing these."_

_"Oh, okay. Good."_

_The couple started walking towards the t-shirt collectors next to a voting booth that was now forever dim. There was a long line of inklings leading to them, with some wearing their Splatfest tees and some already have taken them off. Some were crying, some were in good spirits. Though Inigo was sad to see the Splatfests go, at least he didn't have the nerve to cry in public._

_As they got closer and closer, Geneva suddenly whispered to him, "Before we turn these in… I wanna do something."_

_"What? What do ya-" Before Inigo could finish his sentence, the girl's lips suddenly pressed against his, catching him off guard. Warmth spread throughout his body, and he led Geneva into an embrace as he closed his indigo eyes. For what seemed like an eternity, it seemed like nothing could penetrate their own little bubble as they were absorbed with each other. When their mouths departed, they slowly opened their eyes and gazed at each other._

_"That… was amazing," Inigo breathed, his heart racing._

_"I know." The green-haired inkling caressed his cheek. "You're a better kisser than I thought."_

_"I am?" For his first kiss, he wasn't expecting someone to say that to him._

_Geneva nodded. "You are, and keep being a good kisser, would ya?"_

"You're smiling."

Alexis's words brought Inigo out of his thoughts, and his expression turned dumbfounded as he looked down at the bronze-skinned girl. "O-Oh… was I?"

"Yeah, you were," she confirmed.

He looked away from the sisters. "I was just thinking about… something."

"Kissing aside…" Octavia started. "Maybe we should rent this, then." She picked up the case. "Maybe that can jog your memory about that battle."

"Via, we still have a movie to pick!" Alexis argued.

"Can't we get both?" the indigo-haired inkling suggested.

"…Good point," the short-haired girl muttered.

"Alright, we're getting this." She put the case under her arm, and then the three continued to search the video store for a movie to watch. Once they rented both DVDs, they traveled to Inigo's house and opened the 'Battles with the Squid Sisters' case to see several DVDs inside, much to their dismay. Octavia paged through the DVDs until she found the last one, containing battles from March of 2016 to the end of the Callie vs. Marie Splatfest. She took it out and slid it into the DVD player on a shelf on the table Inigo's TV was situated on.

Soon, a screen flickered to life, opening with the Squid Sisters' signature pose before cutting to a standstill and displaying a selection screen. They opened the scene selection and clicked through the pages of the selection until they found one scene depicting the Squid Sisters with Inigo and Geneva. Octavia pressed a button on the remote, and the screen went black before cutting to a display explaining what game mode the battle was in. It was Turf War, of course. At the same time, the camera panned over Walleye Warehouse, and the fair-skinned boy could catch glimpses of squids on both ends of the map.

A few seconds later, the screen depicted both sides changing into their kid forms. Starting with the camera on Callie, the match begun, and their team began inking the surrounding area, complete with background music, specifically 'Hooked' by Hightide Era. The black-haired idol immediately slammed her Hero Roller onto the ground and pushed it along, creating a trail of orange ink behind her. She took a back road in Walleye Warehouse, but her further exploits were unseen as the camera panned over to Marie. From one of the crates she had already managed to travel to, she began charging up the Hero Charger. A squid dove into the ink behind her, swam past her, and emerged and took the shape of Geneva as she jumped down to the concrete floor.

Immediately, the girl with the Slosher appeared, flinging ink across the map. Despite pointing at the ground, Marie kept a watchful eye on her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. A second or two later, she snapped up and fired, piercing right through her and splatting her.

"Nice!" complemented Callie as she rolled by. The grey-haired idol simply winked and gave a thumbs-up. The camera then focused on the black-haired idol once more, who was prepared to ambush someone. The boy wearing a straw boater walked down a rubber ramp to the main area, Permanent Inkbrush in hand. He started swinging it when she emerged from the orange ink and took him down within one hit. At the camera, she gave a gleaming smile.

All of a sudden, the beeping of seekers could be heard off-screen. Callie whipped around to see a barrage of bombs rushing towards her. The source was quickly found to be the girl wearing Octoglasses, who wielded a Carbon Roller Deco. She was cackling as she launched her seekers. The idol started jumping over them, but soon she lost her step and tripped, being splatted by the last bomb launched.

The camera changed focus to Marie again. She made a small gasp as she witnessed the bomb rush. After Callie was splatted, the girl with Octoglasses slammed her own roller down and began pushing it along. The grey-haired idol began charging up her Hero Charger, and seconds later, she let out a piercing beam, splatting the girl with the roller. She jumped off the crate and began lurking around.

On Callie's end, she took another side route to the center—though it was the right route, not the left route, this time. At the end of the hallway popped out a newcomer—a girl wielding an Aerospray RG. She just about fainted upon sighting the idol. She stared her briefly before moving on. Once the girl was out of range of her roller, she slammed it down again, moving it along. The scream of the girl wielding the Slosher could be heard as Callie rolled her over. When she had arrived in the central area, she painted the side of the crate and jumped onto it. The boy wielding the Inkbrush ran by again, so she jumped off the crate and prepared her Hero Roller.

She was about to slam her roller down on him when a beam of orange ink pierced through his chest. He exploded into a pile of ink, and the camera panned over to the source of the beam—Marie. She had emerged from one of the alleyways and proceeded to take the boy down. Inigo imagined she had a smile, maybe even a smirk, on her face as she walked back up to Callie.

" _MariiiEeEe!_ " a younger Inigo yelled off-screen, his voice cracking. Some ripples went by the two idols, and then an inkling emerged in the ink in front of them. "Can I help you? Please?" The present-day Inigo felt heat creep up his face from second-hand embarrassment.

"We're fine, but thanks for asking," replied the grey-haired inkling. The boy with the ponytail threw his arms out in front of him and let out a groan.

"You sound so... young," Alexis commented.

"I was 15 then!" Inigo defended.

"You're 16," she said. On the TV screen, the girl with the Slosher appeared and threw ink at the three of them, and they all splatted.

"I'm almost 17," he pointed out.

"OK, you win."

When Callie, Marie, and Inigo respawned, they all immediately ran off the spawn point, back towards the main area. The camera was focused on Callie again. She stuck a suction bomb to the pile of boxes before running off. In the background, Geneva was holding off the enemy team quite decently. The girl with the Carbon Roller Deco popped out behind one crate and swung her roller. She jumped backwards, successfully dodging the swing, though some blue ink got on her Urchins jersey. Suddenly, her hair glowed orange, and in an instant, she began chucking burst bombs everywhere. The opponent with the roller was caught off guard, and she was quickly splatted with two direct hits.

Marie's perspective included her resting her back against a wall in the corner, aiming at the grate above her. The inkling with the Aerospray stepped onto it and started transforming into a squid, but as soon as the idol fired her Hero Charger, she splatted. She spun her charger around and walked back out to the main area, where she proceeded to witness an Inkstrike land right in the middle of the stage. A vortex of blue ink swirled in front of her, and Inigo heard someone scream.

"Callie!" she cried. She quickly fired a straight line of ink in front of her and swam to the pile of boxes in the middle. She looked over to see Geneva's gear disappear into a puddle of blue ink. "Callie...?"

"I'm fine!" called the black-haired inkling. She popped up from on top of a box on the side and waved. The camera panned back over her, just in time to see the Inigo on the TV emerge from the small path near the base. He saw himself mutter something, but he couldn't make out what it was. The inkling with the ponytail proceeded to start covering up the ink that resulted from the Inkstrike again. "Hmm..." Callie murmured. She made her way to behind the stack of boxes in the very center of the stage and pulled out a giant Killer Wail. She aimed it and a few seconds later, it let out a loud screech as an orange beam fired across the map.

"Booyah!" everyone cheered.

There was at least one survivor of the Killer Wail, however, as the boy with the Inkbrush swept around the corner again and started attacking Marie. She turned around and started firing her charger rapidly, but she was quickly splatted. The camera changed to the grey-haired idol's perspective once she respawned, where she proceeded to super-jump to her cousin. Geneva had returned to the scene, where she was quick in covering up enemy turf.

The enemy team began to group up and push forward, using all of their firepower to ink as much turf as they can. Inigo saw himself swim up to them, emerging with his Carbon Roller prepared, but he was splatted before he could even get a hit on them. Meanwhile, Marie perched on the pile of boxes again, aiming down on them. She was about to fire her shot when the girl with the Slosher started flinging ink at her again. Her charger fired up at the sky as she fled, but alas, another bucket full of blue ink got her splatted again.

Callie and Geneva were hiding out behind a wall, watching their opponents push forward. The black-haired girl put her roller down and took a few steps forward before the inkling with green eyes grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. She shook her head and focused on the other team again. Inigo had super-jumped to his then-girlfriend and stood rather ominously behind her. Geneva looked behind her shoulder and jumped, fully turning around to face him.

"I-Inigo!" she stuttered frantically, her face turning red. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized.

Present-day Inigo groaned and gripped his head. _What was I thinking back then?_ he asked himself. _Scaring Geneva like that..._

Marie then super-jumped to the three squids. "Oh, we're having a party?"

"No, we're gonna do a special attack!" Callie corrected cheerfully.

"A special attack?" the younger Inigo inquired.

"It's a thing," the grey-haired idol replied.

"Me and the Squid Sisters are going to attack them," Geneva explained, adjusting her beanie.

"Do I get a part in this?" the boy with the ponytail asked.

"You... can be a distraction." Marie patted the boy on the back. "Go get 'em, tiger shark."

"Don't worry about it." Geneva placed a peck on his cheek, and with a blush, Inigo rubbed it. "You'll do great."

He nodded, put his Carbon Roller to the ground, and began pushing it. To Inigo's surprise, the match panned over to his own point of view. He moved in a zig-zagged fashion, winding around the other inklings and confusing them. Eventually, his hair began to glow, and he pulled out an Inkzooka. He managed to fire one whirlwind of ink before stepping into an Ink Mine and splatting.

The camera now simply panned over the other team, who were rather scattered thanks to the distraction Inigo provided. Suddenly, voices began to sound.

"One!" Callie prepared a powerful swing of her Hero Roller.

"Two!" Marie began running forward with a full charge.

"Three!" Geneva rushed towards them with her Splattershot.

Once the last girl finished speaking, all of them fired the most powerful attacks their main weapons could muster at once. Callie jumped up into the air and slammed her roller down, sending a huge wave of orange ink towards the group of inklings. Marie fired a high-speed shot of ink that bounced off the crates until it reached the target, losing strength with each bounce. Geneva swept her shooter across the field, firing it as fast as it could manage and hitting all of the inklings. All four members of the team were splatted, leaving the trio the entire map to cover. Loud cheers were edited in the background.

"Wow..." Inigo breathed. A memory from that day resurfaced—he remembered walking up to his teammates and telling them that they were superfresh for wiping out the entire team with one attack. But seeing a recording of it? It somehow made him more in awe of the feat. _They all knew what to do, and they did it._ He was always under the impression that Geneva had no prior knowledge of the special attack, but now, it seemed like she had done it before. Many times, in fact.

The team was quick to cover up the map, and then the whistle blew. The screen cut to an overview of a map, and stock footage of Judd appeared on the screen. He did a little dance before striking out an orange flag to the left of the screen. Next, Callie and Marie appeared, doing victory dances, alongside two inklings resembling and wearing the same gear as Geneva and Inigo. The inkling girl dressed up as Geneva wore a standard short beanie—the green-haired inkling normally donned a short beanie made with darker thread—while the inkling boy dressed up as Inigo lacked the indigo-haired inkling's cowlick. The camera zoomed in on the Squid Sisters and proceeded to display the statistics of the battle. Callie and Marie were tied for the most squids splatted, while Inigo had splatted the most.

"It's superfresh the Squid Sisters are so good at turf wars," Octavia commented. "That's why I like them so much! They don't just sing; they kick butt while looking good, too."

"So does Off the Hook!" Alexis remarked.

"Well, I like them too," she muttered.

Inigo laid back on the couch and smiled. He watched the screen fade to black, and then another match popped up—this one in Mahi-Mahi Resort. _Getting right to it, huh?_ The same tsunami that closed down the Museum d'Alfonsino a while back had also flooded the resort. It was closed down for repairs, though when it had reopened over the summer, most inklings had moved on to different spots for ink battles. Sometimes Inigo wished he could play there again, but perhaps it was for the best—the new maps brought a lot of things to the table. _I guess we could watch one more match..._

"Wow, Geneva's good."

At the new voice, the three inklings turned around to see Giovanni, pressing against the back of the couch. His head resting on his gloved hand, his eyes drifted over to them, and he gave a smirk.

"How did you get in here?!" Alexis demanded.

"You leave the door open," he answered. "I also did some following."

"Any particular reason why you decided to watch this with us?" Inigo soon asked.

The octoling snickered. "There is no particular reason."

He doubted his words, based on his expression. "Do you know something?"

"Do you?"

"Of course! I know her better than anyone!"

"Answer his question," the short-haired inkling snapped.

"No need to be so pushy," Octavia tried to quell her.

"OK, let me try again..." the boy with the ponytail started. "Do you know something about Geneva?"

"Perhaps," Gio teased.

He took this as a 'yes'. "How?"

"I never said I knew a thing," he replied.

"Yes, but it was implied."

"My point is still standing."

Inigo groaned. _This is getting nowhere._

"OK, Gio," Octavia spoke up. "Please, stop being vague. It's kinda creepy."

"That, and the fact that you followed us here," Alexis added.

"Creepy?" the octoling mused.

"Y'know: disturbing, unsettling, causing discomfort, et cetera..." the wavy-haired inkling elaborated.

"I no do think I am to be creepy," Giovanni confessed. "It is simple... I like to gather information."

"Still creepy..." the short-haired girl muttered.

"Umm..." Inigo bit his lip, nervous. "Do you do the same thing with your friends? Like Octa Prisma?"

"I..." Losing his gusto, the green-haired boy looked down to the floor and scratched his head. "I... No...?"

"OK, I'm gonna say no. Why don't you do this with your friends?"

"They are my friends; they would not to like it."

"Are we your friends?"

"You are draw to the idea of friends... The between an inkling and an octoling. It is silly."

"The Great Turf War happened a hundred years ago!" Octavia butted into the conversation. "This is now! Can't we all be friends?"

"I was raise to think inklings and Octarians are enemies," Giovanni argued, frowning.

"But that's what you were _raised_ to think," she pointed out. "We're in Inkopolis, and you're not working for the Octarians anymore! You can do whatever you want!"

Finally, the octoling sighed, slumping on the couch. "It is not easy," he admitted. "I keep to tell me that I'm in the world of the inklings. But... I have not convinced me yet."

"So..." Inigo started. "Will you think about being friends with us? And not being creepy?"

He immediately straightened and glared at him with his green eyes. "I not promise anything." With that, he promptly turned around and left the room. A few seconds later, the fair-skinned inkling heard his front door open and close shut.

"Finally, he's gone," Alexis said, relieved.

"Honestly, I don't know what to make of that," the boy with the ponytail concluded.

"Well, it's a start," Via assured. "Who knows? Maybe we'll actually be friends with Gio one day."

"I hope so," he agreed. "He doesn't seem like a bad kid. Just... super misguided."

"Moving on," the short-haired inkling interrupted, changing the subject. She stopped the video and then picked up the case for the movie. "Let's set this up; we don't want to keep the others waiting."

"OK," replied the older inklings. As they took the _Battles with the Idols_ DVD out of the player, and the movie's DVD in, there was still something on Inigo's mind.

 _What_ did _Gio know about Geneva?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: It was only the main battle I had to make sure I finished for today. The rest, including that ending with Gio, was written in the hiatus between seasons 1 and 2. I had this idea for a while, so I'm glad to have finally executed it. Hope you guys liked this chapter, and stay tuned for next week!


	36. Heart on Your Sleeve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry is feeling particularly enthusiastic during the Sweater vs. Sock Splatfest.

_Perry's PoV_

"The theme's Sweater vs. Sock, huh?" Bonnie commented. "Could have been better, not gonna lie."

"I mean, it could have been worse," Yuri piped up. "My siblings and I went to a carnival and saw some lady the other day. She told me that somewhere, in an alternative universe, there was a Splatfest about toilet paper preferences."

"Now that's weird," Via admitted. "By the way, what are your toilet paper preferences?" she asked with a smirk.

"We are not getting into that," Roy protested.

"Ah, c'mon, Roy," Perry said. "Have some fun every once in a while."

"...You squids know I was jokin', right?" Octavia pointed out.

"Of course, of course!" Perry lied. _But I still have a point, right...?_

"Anyways..." Roy rested his legs on the table and pulled up a green sock on one leg. "I think Team Sock is definitely the way to go."

"Don't ya like sweaters?" the inkling with spiky bangs asked. Perry was on Team Sweater, of course—he just loved showing off his ugly Squidmas sweaters.

"No," he grumbled. "I always put on my Squidsmas list, 'DON'T BUY UGLY SWEATERS'."

"Maybe I should try that," Alexis mused. She fidgeted with the green bracelet that came with the Team Sock tee. "My cousins keep buying me them every year, and it's annoying."

"I thought you liked them," the wavy-haired girl bleated. True to her alignment with Team Sweater, she was wearing a sweater made from white wool under her Splatfest tee.

"Did you..." her sister started.

"Anyways!" Via interrupted, standing up from her chair and striking a pose. "I'm itchin' for battle."

"Me too." Yuri stood up as well. A light briefly shined on the green tee he was wearing.

Her arms fell at the spiky-haired boy's words. "But... we're not on the same team."

"I know," he replied. "Doesn't mean I can't battle, too."

"Wait," Inigo spoke up suddenly. "How about we fight against each other?"

"Good idea, Inigo!" Yuri beamed.

"Who'll be Team Sock member #4, then?" the pale-skinned boy piped up.

"I'll call Asher," the inkling with the ponytail replied. He pulled out his indigo cellphone and proceeded to punch some numbers in.

" _Asher?_ " Roy muttered.

"Why him?" Alexis asked.

"Well..." Inigo's phone rang, and soon Perry could faintly hear Asher's voice on the other end. He held up a finger to silence them. "Hi, it's Inigo." He paused to let the other inkling speak. "Whaddya mean, 'How do I have your number?'? You gave it to me at the tournament!" He was silent once more. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to battle with us." Another pause. "Sweater vs. Sock." After another moment of silence, the boy with the ponytail groaned. "Agh, alright. See ya another time." It cut off, and Inigo put his phone back into his pocket.

"He said 'no'?" Via assumed.

Inigo nodded. "He's out partying." He scratched his head. "And it sounds like he isn't in any state to battle, either." He shook his head. "He would choose Team Sweater, either way."

"Well, who're we gonna ask now?" Perry whined, slumping onto the table.

"Someone from school?" Bonnie suggested.

"We better get textin', then," the boy with indigo eyes remarked.

"I'll send out a post of Squidsagram," the wavy-haired girl announced, pulling out her phone.

Seconds later, everyone was glued to their phones. Perry's mind drifted to a certain girl—Lori. _Wonder what she's up to._ He was quick to ask her if she wanted to join them, and she sent him a reply in a similar speed—she couldn't. She explained she was with her friend, and they were getting ready to battle. He glanced between the Rainbow Squids briefly before deciding to text someone else.

His finger hovered over one of his good friend's name when suddenly Yuri exclaimed, "Yes!"

"Huh?" Everyone's attention snapped over to the spiky-haired inkling.

"Jade responded that she's coming here right now."

"Jade from physics?" Perry asked.

He nodded. "That's the one."

A few moments later, they heard footsteps running towards them, and they turned around to look at the newcomer. A dark-skinned inkling girl wearing a Team Sock tee sprinted towards them, the light reflecting off of her forest green hair that was tied up into a double bun. She was holding a N-ZAP '85 in her hands. As soon she reached the Rainbow Squids' table, she stopped to catch her breath.

"Whew..." Jade breathed. "I made it!"

"That was fast," Roy commented.

"Nice to see ya, Jade," the purple-eyed inkling greeted.

"Hey, Jade!" Yuri greeted as well.

"Hey," she greeted back. Her orange eyes scanned the group. "So, who's all on my team?" Roy, Yuri, and Alexis all moved towards them and exchanged greetings. "I didn't think you'd be on Team Sock, Yuri," she mused.

"Well..." Yuri scratched the back on his head. "I couldn't choose! So, I picked the team the idol I like best—Marina—supported."

"You like Marina best?"

The members of Team Sock turned around and parted for the other inklings to see. Standing there was Giovanni and his posse. The octoling with a mohawk, as well as Iris, were wearing Team Sock tees, while Oscar and Yvonne were wearing Team Sweater tees.

"Gio!" Alexis complained. "We told you not to stalk us!"

"No." He shook his head. "You do no say 'not to stalk us.'"

"It was implied!" she protested. "It's included in being creepy!" Jade muttered something to the short-haired inkling, but Perry couldn't make out what it was.

The dark-skinned girl scanned Octa Prisma for a moment and asked, "Didn't you squids win the Deca Tournament?"

"Yes," Iris replied, the corners of her mouth turning upward. "Thank you for knowing."

"Uhh... you're welcome?" she said. She turned back to the Rainbow Squids and shrugged.

"Changing the subject..." Perry interjected. "You excited for the Splatfest?" he eagerly asked the group of octolings.

"Obviously," Gio snickered. "It is the first of the Splatfests."

"It is the more of the liking of the first Splatfest of Giovanni," Oscar elaborated. "I-" He glanced between his teammates. " _We_ have did the Splatfests of before." The green-eyed octoling glared at the orange-eyed one, causing him to shrink back.

"Finally," started Giovanni, "I want battle you in this Splatfest later."

"We will be win also!" the girl with indigo eyes boasted.

"Until we meet!" Yvonne bubbled. "I no can wait!"

Octa Prisma ran off towards the Deca Tower, their laughter fading off into the distance. Everyone just looked at each other with bewildered on their faces, leaving them in silence.

Yuri was the first to break the silence. "Shall we go?"

Everyone agreed and headed off to the tower themselves. However, before they entered, Perry stopped in front of the stage where Off the Hook performed and began waving his hands wildly, calling Pearl's name. In return, Yuri began calling his friend's name, only to be ignored. After the duo finished singing their song, the pale-haired idol walked up to the edge of the stage and squatted down.

"Yo, whaddya want?" Pearl asked.

"Don't fall off!" Marina called.

"I'll be fine, 'Rina!" she called back. Her attention returned to Perry. "So?"

"I just wanted to say 'hi'!" he replied.

"Hiya," she said back. "Keep bein' fresh, aight?"

Perry seemed to smile from ear-to-ear. "I will!" he promised. He ran under the stage and did a little jump as he cheered. _She noticed me!_ he exclaimed silently. _And she called me fresh, too!_

" _Now_ can we battle?" Roy asked, crossing his arms.

"Of course!" The purple-eyed inkling put his hands on the tall boy's shoulders. "But did you hear that?"

"Pearl noticed you, we know," Octavia deadpanned.

"Exactly!" Perry ran up to the elevators. "Now, c'mon!"

The group entered an empty elevator. The door closed, and they began descending. The entire time, Perry was smiling because of the encounter with the idol. Now, he was quite motivated to battle and score a win for Team Sweater. The grate soon opened underneath the inklings' feet, and they slipped into it.

The squids on Team Sock spawned in a grassy, open area, underneath panels displaying a space background. In the distance was a pillar with two machines connected to it that spun around as it spread ink. Seconds later, everyone began firing their weapons. Perry decided to stay behind and ink the surrounding area this time around—he wanted enough points to summon his Sting Ray real quickly. He was quickly distracted by something spreading red ink, though. Snickering, he transformed into a squid and jumped to the edge of the ramp, allowing the machine to push him off. The drop was not much, though, much to his disappointment.

"Perry..." Bonnie stopped to look at him. "What are you doing?"

"Havin' fun!" He climbed back up the ramp and let the machine push him off again. "You try!"

"Erm... alright." She fired a small path in front of her with her Classic Squiffer and climbed up the ramp. The two inklings waited for the machine to come back and push them off again. Afterwards, Bonnie transformed back into a kid and shook her head. "I don't get it."

He sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll get back to inking."

A few sloshes later, the boy's hair started to glow red. He noticed one of the walls was being covered by yet another machine and climbed up it. On top of the platform, Perry pulled out the Sting Ray and began to fire it, aiming at the pillar. While he was firing it, a suction bomb landed right next to him, causing him to jump off the platform, back onto the grass. His special weapon ran out, much to his annoyance. The pale-skinned inkling began tossing ink everywhere with his Sloshing Machine again in hopes of gaining more turf for his team.

He threw an autobomb out in front of him. It stood there for a few moments before waddling away towards the pillar. Jade emerged from on top of a box on one of the machines and started running towards him, jumping over the bomb he sent in the process. He gasped and began targeting the dark-skinned girl. A cocky smile on her face, she fired her N-ZAP at him. Perry backed up, hoping to stay out of the shooter's short range. He threw out another bomb, but the next time he tried flinging ink at her, he found he was out of ink. He cursed and swam away before Jade could splat him.

Perry was back at the spawn point. _There's not much to this map, is there?_ he joked to himself. Once his ink tank was full again, he ran back down the ramp. He was surprised to see how much green covered the area. He threw his Sloshing Machine up into the air and caught it, thinking of what to do. Jade suddenly appeared from the corner, rushing up to him again while firing her N-ZAP '85. He tried catching his slosher, but it clumsly fell out of his hands, leaving him defenseless. He threw out one final bomb before he was splatted.

When he respawned, he noticed Bonnie had taken it upon herself to perch on one of the highest points of the stage and aim from there. Seconds later, a red mist surrounded both her and Perry, and in an instant, their bodies were covered in hardened ink.

"Fresh job, Bon-Bon!" the purple-eyed inkling called as he ran towards the middle again. He heard ink fly past him, so he risked looking over his shoulder to see the source. Once again, it was Jade. He threw yet another autobomb and dove into the ink trailing behind the machine spreading red ink in the center. At last, the dark-skinned girl was taken down by the bomb, splatting in a satisfying explosion of red. "Booyah!" Before he could further celebrate, the machine spreading green ink ran over him and splatted him.

To his relief, when Perry respawned next, they were no longer at a terrible disadvantage. Specks of green spotted the area, but his side was mostly red, at least. He super-jumped to Octavia, who camped out on top of one of the platforms that could be reached through the middlemost platform. She stood at the edge, flinging ink with her Octobrush down at the ground.

"Oh! Perry!" she gasped at his arrival. She stopped attacking momentarily, which allowed someone to toss a splat bomb on top of the building. They jumped off to avoid the explosion. He heard Via scream on the way down. Perry looked behind him to see who splatted her—it was none other than Roy. It was then he was pelted with bullets, with his attacker being none other than Yuri.

Once again, Perry was sent back to the spawn point. Only this time, he respawned alongside his wavy-haired friend.

"Well, that was a surprise," he teased.

"They only got us because I was distracted," she said, ignoring his comment. Her orange eyes then faced his. "Somethin' up, Perry? You've been acting more... silly, than usual."

"Yo, ya realize Pearl talked to me, 'ight?" He blushed. "It's like, the second time ever."

"Well, congrats, but we gotta focus on the battle," Via declared.

"She's right," added a new voice. Next to Perry was Inigo, his Carbon Roller thrown over his shoulders like usual. "It's still a Splatfest battle, so we gotta win!"

"For Team Sweater," Octavia added.

The purple-eyed boy smiled. "Right." He looked between his two friends. "For Team Sweater."

The inklings once again charged towards the battlefield, inking every spot of green they could find. Almost immediately after Perry approached the center pillar, Roy popped out of the ink, shooting his Luna Blaster. The boy jumped out of the way, clutching his arm as green ink seared it. He bit his lip to distract himself from the pain in order to toss a glob of ink at the inkling with his hair swept to the side. The tan-skinned boy covered his face, with the bulk of the red ink getting on his arms. This allowed Perry to score another direct hit on his friend and splat him.

The team pushed further into enemy territory, and soon, Perry could activate his special once more. Jumping on one of the platforms, he pulled out a Sting Ray again, this time aiming at the other team's spawn point. The barrier around it shimmered green as the giant beam made contact with it. He then aimed it lower, where he proceeded to pelt Yuri in the face with it.

Perry yelled an apology as his spiky-haired friend splatted. "Sorry!" His Sting Ray ran out of power, and now he could resume inking the area with the Sloshing Machine. Unfortunately for him, he spotted Alexis pulling out some Tenta Missiles, right on the spawn. She proceeded to fire them, and quickly were green missiles barreling towards him. He retreated back towards the pillar, missiles exploding behind him.

With everyone retreating, their opponents could now push back into their territory. Once again, Jade took the lead, with Ink Armor surrounding her teammates. She inked over the trail the machine spinning around the pillar created, but another one quickly covered it back up with red ink. Bonnie held up her Classic Squiffer and fired, piercing through the dark-skinned girl's ink armor. The hardened green ink shattered, and Jade winced. The girl with beige skin charged up her Squiffer again, and one shot later, the other girl was splatted.

Octavia made chase with her sister. Whenever the wavy-haired girl leaped with a swing of her brush prepared, Alexis always seemed to roll out of the way and shoot. Interestingly, she never seemed to land a hit on Via either, as the older sister ran in a zig-zag motion around the pillar. Perry decided to help out as he climbed on top of the box on one of the machines and started to hurl ink down at the dualie user. He landed one direct hit on her, but that did not faze her in the slightest. She simply just changed her focus on Perry. Alexis threw a burst bomb at him, knocking him over and causing him to fall to the ground. The machine ran him over and splatted him.

Perry wasted no time super-jumping back to the action. He launched towards Inigo, who was simply running along, covering paint with his roller. Roy suddenly jumped out at them, but with a vertical swing, the fair-skinned boy was able to take him out in one hit. His hair started to glow, and Inigo threw out a canister containing Ink Storm at one of the buildings in the middle. The purple-eyed boy watched the red cloud roll over the horizon, raining ink down on the battlefield.

All of a sudden, the two machines surrounding the pillar stopped moving. Everyone darted towards it in order to cover it up with ink. The result was a mess. People were being splatted left-and-right. Roy came rushing in with his Baller, and the explosion that resulted ended up splatting the remaining Team Sweater members present. When Perry respawned, he was horrified to see how far Team Sock had managed to push in. A few seconds later, the whistle blew, and it was a game.

"Oh..." Bonnie murmured, walking up to the still ink-spreading machine on the ramp. "We lost."

"Yeah, we definitely lost," Octavia agreed.

Suddenly, the purple-eyed boy had an idea. He started running down towards the enemy turf, calling Jade's name. She turned around to face him, and he trudged through the sticky green ink to reach her.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she greeted back.

"You did superfresh out there," he complimented. "I don't think I've ever encountered someone as good with an N-ZAP as you."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying?"

"Noth...ing?" Perry shook his head. "Why would ya think that?"

"It's all the same—some boy walks up to me, gives me a compliment, and five seconds later they're trying to date me." She grumbled, digging her face into her hand. "It's annoying."

"Um..." Perry backed up a few steps. "OK... Um... Sorry."

"It's fine," she said. "I know you, Perry—you're not very subtle."

"So..."

"Thanks, by the way." She smiled. "I've practiced using the N-ZAP just about every day. I don't think I'll ever get tired of usin' it."

"And I don't think I'll get tired of my Sloshing Machine, either."

The two laughed, and just in time, Judd and Li'l Judd showed up. They did their signature dance as always, and the smaller car struck out a green flag, as expected. No cheers or cries were made as they super-jumped out of the Shifty Station, towards the Deca Tower once more so they could see their statistics.

"I wish the Shifty Stations weren't just for one Splatfest," Inigo commented. "They're so fresh."

"I know, right?" Octavia agreed, clasping her hands together.

"I love riding those ink-spreading things," Perry added.

"The spreaders?" Alexis spoke up.

"Is that what they're called?" the boy with the ponytail inquired.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Spreaders." Yuri chuckled. "Simple, yet fitting!"

As the statistics scrolled by, Jade asked, "You wanna play again?"

Roy looked around and nodded. "I guess." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Booyah!" she cheered. "Maybe we'll get another win for Team Sock!"

"Nah," disagreed Perry. "Team Sweater is clearly better."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Alexis teased.

The elevator door shut once more, and the Rainbow Squids descended through the tower again, ready for another match to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't you believe it's already February? Time flies. Next thing you know, it'll be the end of the year, and this Season 3 moment I've been highly anticipating will come. Yeah, I'm planning ahead. I love doing that in particular with the Rainbow Squid. Fun fact for today: It's a palindrome day! That means today, 02/02/2020, can be written the same forwards and backwards, no matter what date system you use. It's the first one since 11/11/1111, in fact! Pretty cool, right? I know it seems silly to point this out, but hey, today's a special day. As for this chapter? Not my best, but I hope you guys like it as always. See you next week!


	37. New Semester, New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the new semester starts in January, some new, yet familiar, faces pop up in West Inkopolis High School.

_Roy's PoV_

"Hello, class," greeted Roy's math teacher. "I hope you had a wonderful winter break."

"It sucked!" yelled someone from the back of the classroom.

"Anyways, we have a new student with us today," she continued. "Please direct your attention to the door."

Sitting at the seat closest to the door was a familiar figure. Roy recognized her almost immediately—Iris. He couldn't help but feel surprised at her sudden appearance. _She's our age?_

"Please welcome Iris Thaumo." Everyone clapped, except the red-haired inkling.

"Hey," the crab next to him whispered in his ear, "didn't you lose to her in the Deca Tournament last month?"

"Yeah, I did," he whispered back. "No need to rub it in my face."

"OK, OK, calm down, Blacktip," he tried to quell his inkling friend's temper.

"I'm calm," he grumbled, remaining silent for the rest of the demonstration.

"I are happy to be over here," Iris announced.

"Thank you, Iris," the teacher stated. "Now, let's go to the lesson, shall we?"

After class, as Roy was leaving, he felt someone grab the back of his jacket and pull him back. He glanced over to the side to see the octoling, her brows furrowed.

"You should not destroy my chance," she whispered in a low voice. "Everything is perfect, but you could to ruin everything."

"Why me?" he asked.

"In Inkopolis, everything is think we are inkling," she growled. "But the Rainbow Squids know true."

"And...?"

"If Inkopolis know we are Octarians..." She frowned. "I no know what."

"Uh... OK..." In his opinion, he didn't think anyone cared that there were Octarians in Inkopolis. Life would just go on like normal, as long as they had no ill intent. Even if Giovanni had bruised his jaw at the Deca Tournament.

"Good." Iris walked past Roy, towards her next class. The red-eyed inkling looked up at the clock and figured he should be going, too. To make up for the lost time, he started walking as fast as he can, towards his gym class.

As soon as he entered the locker room, he was met face-to-face with Wyatt.

"What," Roy asked, annoyed.

"We got two new kids in our class today," he explained. "They thought I was you for a few seconds."

"How..." He peeked around the bend to see two familiar octolings put on plain white t-shirts. "Oh, come on!" he growled.

"Hmm..." Giovanni mumbled, green eyes drifting over to the newcomer. "It seems you are in the class."

"You no look the happy," Oscar mused. "Why?"

"You punched me!" Roy complained, pointing at the green-haired boy.

"No; I have the use of my hand to punch you," Gio argued.

"That... doesn't make sense."

"I was talk about the Deca Tournament."

"Oh, I get it now." The red-haired inkling touched the spot where he had bit hit. There was only a dull pain now. "Still, why wouldn't I be mad?"

"It fair we won, correct?" the boy with the afro asked.

"Ehm..." Roy sighed. "If Off the Hook thought it was fair, then..." If there anyone the citizens of Inkopolis trusted most, it was the idols. Role models, they were, for generations to come. Even if he didn't agree with the decision, he had to put faith in Pearl and Marina's judgement.

The two octolings just stared at them for a moment, and then they laughed. "To trust Off the Hook?" Oscar scoffed. "No understand."

"Can you squids just get dressed?" someone else in the locker room requested with an annoyed tone. "I'm tired of your bickering."

The tan-skinned inkling glared before heading off. "This isn't over."

After everyone changed clothes, all inklings—and octolings, counting Gio and Oscar—were directed to their own spot in the gymnasium for warm-ups. In most schools, inklings had their own separate gym class. Elementary-aged inklings did mock turf wars, usually one per week, while in high school, squids had full-blown turf wars in the courtyard almost every day.

"ATTENTION!" the gym teacher yelled. Everyone lined up in their lines, except the two new students. "We have new students with us—Giovanni Briareus and Oscar Margina."

"They look like the squids from Octa Prisma," someone commented.

"We are," the green-haired boy confirmed, the familiar smirk crossing his features once more.

"Two of the squids," Oscar elaborated. "Two is girls."

"To the back of the lines with ya!" the teacher demanded of the octolings. Roy half-expected some witty remark from Gio, but instead he nodded and went to the back of the last line with his friend. "Now, fifty jumping jacks! Now!"

Following the warm-ups, the class was directed to the room between the gym and the courtyard. "Pick up yer Splattershots!" Everyone did and walked into the courtyard. There was some sort of magical barrier that automatically sorted an inkling onto one of the four teams when they entered. Roy's ink stayed red, noted by the ink in the Splattershot he held not changing. Immediately after changing ink color, they super-jumped to their corresponding spawn point, and once everyone was sorted, the gym teacher blew a whistle, and everyone began firing.

Something Roy liked about gym class was that it was a thirty-minute-long turf war. For thirty minutes, everyone painted the courtyard, and cod, was there a lot of fun to have! Though, that being said, the attitudes of everyone varied. Some focused on inking turf, others focused on racking up splats, and still others focused on doing nothing. The boy with hair swept to the side hated it when people did nothing. Most often they messed around in their squid forms, flopping around in the corner. A few just chatted on the spawn point. Roy actually participated, trying to ink as much turf as he could. It was a turf war, after all.

Both Giovanni and Oscar were put on the green team. To his surprise, they were playing rather fairly.

"You're not gonna kick or punch anyone?" the red-eyed boy asked, curious.

"Why I?" Oscar replied.

"We talk about this, no?" Giovanni added.

"Apologize; why we?" the boy with the afro tried correcting.

"No one ask to you to apologize," the boy with the mohawk snapped.

"Uh, apologize!" He clasped his hands together. "Apologize!"

Amused, Roy snickered.

"What?" both of them growled.

"Instead of 'apologize', you should say 'sorry'," he advised. "'Apologize' and 'apology' are more formal, and, well, why'd ya wanna be formal?"

"'Sorry'..." The bronze-skinned octoling paused and looked around before returning his attention to Roy. "I like 'sorry'."

"I know the word 'sorry'," Gio grumbled. "I do not need Inkling lessons."

"Woah, Roy giving advice?!" someone exclaimed from behind the inkling. Roy turned around and saw his cousin. "Did you and Sable switch bodies or somethin'?" Wyatt jeered.

"I have this Splattershot, Requiem," the red-eyed inkling threatened, pointing his weapon at his cousin. "I can still splat you with this."

"Now _there's_ the Roy I know," he teased.

"Who is 'Sable'?" Oscar suddenly asked.

"Inigo," Roy answered. "Inigo Sable—that's his name."

"Ponytail inkling," the green-eyed octoling explained to the other octopus. "Do you know he dated..."

Gio paused and then opened his mouth to continue further, but then Wyatt interrupted, "Geneva Gonati? Yeah, we know. Don't know what he saw in farm girl, to be honest."

"Farm?" the boy with the afro inquired.

"Geneva came from the country," started Roy. "She moved here with her brother a few years ago. About three years ago, to be exact. I remember when we met her. She asked if she could sit with us, in the middle school cafeteria, and we said yes. The rest was history. She seems like a tree-hugger at first, but as you get to know her... it was like her heart always belonged to the city. Maybe that's why Geneva came to Inkopolis. Didn't feel at home in the country, ironically."

"The fresh story!" Oscar started clapping. "I give no care, but story is of the fresh!" Everyone just stared at him. "What?" He looked down at the ground. "Oh... Sorry!"

* * *

"Have you squids had any members of Octa Prisma in your classes?" was the first question Octavia asked when she arrived at the Rainbow Squids' lunch table. "Yvonne was in my physics class!" she whined. "She's the reason we have homework today!"

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Bonnie pointed out. "To say Yvonne was responsible for giving you homework?"

"I say it with good reason!" she argued. "At the end of class, she just _had_ to walk up to Ms. Gong and ask if we had homework. And guess what that freaking sea cow did? She gave us homework! Right on the dot!" She sat down and crossed her arms. "Hmph!"

"Via, calm down!" Yuri interjected. "Things will get better! Give her time!"

She relaxed. "Alright... if you say so."

"About your original question..." Perry started. "Oscar happened to be in my history class."

"I know Iris was in your math class, Roy," Bon-Bon said.

"Yeah, you texted us all about it," Inigo added.

Roy nodded. "And Gio and Oscar happen to be in my gym class as well."

"Gym class..." The blue-haired girl put a hand on her chin. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Well, you're not blowin' up as big as a pufferfish," Yuri noted. "So, I'm guessing no."

"You're right," the red-haired inkling confirmed. "They just played like normal inklings."

"I think I see why," Inigo mused. "There's nothing at stake, unlike the tournament."

"Probably why," he admitted.

At that moment, Octa Prisma happened to stop right in front of the table, holding lunches.

"We... don't have any seats open," Bonnie told them.

"We not look to the sitting with the inklings," Iris chided.

"We stop to say 'hello'!" Yvonne chirped. Iris then scolded her in another language, causing a dismayed look to fall on the yellow-haired girl's face.

"It wouldn't hurt to be nicer, wouldn't it?" Octavia suggested.

The fair-skinned octoling grumbled, putting her hand up to her face. "Fine. Yvonne is true; we stop to say 'hello'. _However,_ we stop to say 'We better,' as well."

"Do you feel about us?" Giovanni taunted. "We find the school of you, and we go to it now."

"OK, but... why are you going to school?" Bonnie inquired.

"We can," Oscar responded.

"I'm more surprised you guys are our age," Roy admitted to them.

"It no easy to tell age?" the orange-haired octoling pondered.

"It's more like exact age," Perry noted with a shrug. "Eh... how old are ya?"

"17," Gio replied. "Your age."

"But Iris six-" Oscar started.

"Shut up!" the green-haired boy snapped. He turned back to the Rainbow Squids and cleared his throat. "Anyways..."

"The birthday of Giovanni be on the day the Deca Tournament," Iris informed.

"It a reason why we have to win," Yvonne added. "To make Giovanni is happy!"

"And we win," the indigo-haired girl finished. "To show we better than inklings."

As Octa Prisma began to walk away, the boy with the mohawk sneered, "We will beat you again."

The battle with Octa Prisma during the Sweater vs. Sock Splatfest came to mind. Whatever side Giovanni was on, the other side lost. Thankfully, his teammates kept him in check, but soon, Octa Prisma challenged the Rainbow Squids in a private battle. Octa Prisma won both times, much to the inklings' dismay.

"So, Perry," Octavia spoke up after the octolings left, "I heard you didn't buy a birthday gift for Bonnie yesterday."

"I did, I did," he defended. "It just didn't come yet."

"Do you have it now?" the blue-haired inkling asked.

"Yeah." He slipped a card out of his pocket and slid it towards her.

Bon-Bon picked it up and read, "'Free pair of glasses or contacts from Shrimp Care—Inkopolis's finest eye care.'"

"Go get yourself a fancy pair," Perry suggested. "Maybe with rhinestones or somethin'."

"But I like my retro specs."

"Read that line on the bottom of it."

"'Like your glasses? We'll replace your lens for free, too.'" She looked at the purple-haired boy and smile. "Huh. That's pretty useful."

"Say thank you."

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome." Perry simply winked, and then the Rainbow Squids continued on with their lunch.

* * *

Almost two weeks later came the Action vs. Comedy Splatfest. School had proceeded like normal. Though Roy never talked with any of the members of Octa Prisma, they were at least getting along. It was a start, at least. The red-eyed boy almost saw a kinder side to them, even. _I guess they really aren't so bad._

"You squids wanna know my favorite comedy movie?" Perry prompted, leaning back in his chair, a blue Splatfest tee on his body.

"I already know it," Yuri boasted.

"Then you don't hafta guess," the pale-skinned boy teased, winking.

"Yeah, I know," the spiky-haired inkling acknowledged.

"Can I guess first?" Bonnie asked. She wore a golden tee, marking her a member of Team Action like Roy.

"Go ahead," he permitted.

"'Squidsitting.'"

"Nah. That's a good one, though."

"Oh! What about 'The Three Shrimp'?" Alexis guessed. She picked Team Action as well for this Splatfest.

"No..."

"'Narwhal Fighting'?" guessed Inigo. As he rested his hand on the table, Roy could see the blue bracelet marking him as part of Team Comedy around his wrist.

"'Narwhal Fighting'?! Dude, that movie sucks!"

"Same," the boy with the ponytail admitted, "but my dad keeps putting it on."

"OK, I'm gonna make another guess," the short-haired girl announced again. "How about... 'Last Day of Summer'?"

"That's the one!" Perry confirmed. "Glad you squids know it."

"With the guessing games over..." Roy smiled. "How 'bout we battle?"

"That's what I was gonna say," Inigo remarked.

"Then I guess great minds think alike."

The Rainbow Squids got up from their chairs and went over to the Deca Tower. They grabbed their weapons from their storage room, and then members on opposing teams went their separate ways, towards an elevator. Roy, Octavia, Alexis, and Bonnie crowded into one of them... to find other members of Team Action standing inside. The tan-skinned inkling did not recognize any of them.

"Oh hey, it's Debbie!" Octavia exclaimed.

A girl wearing a jungle hat nodded. "Yeah, that's me." Her orange eyes glanced between the group. "Via, Bonnie. Hey." The two aforementioned girls waved.

Another girl with pigtails muttered, "Alexis?"

The short-haired girl leaned forward and said, "Maggie?"

"Huh." Via scratched her head. "No wonder she looked familiar..."

"What?" Roy asked her.

"I remember now! We did a Salmon Run together once!" she exclaimed.

"Ah..." he murmured. _Salmon Runs..._

A girl with olive skin and a Tri-Slosher chuckled, spinning the weapon around on her finger. "Even in a ditto match... We'll beat you."

"YEAH! We'll beat you!" a boy with coffee-colored skin and hair tied back in a low ponytail agreed loudly. He held a Foil Flingza Roller in his hands.

The elevator door closed behind them, and they began descending. Time passed before the floor under their feet opened up to reveal a grate. The inklings slipped through it, to their next destination. When Roy spawned in, he immediately noticed the bridge hanging overhead. Snapper Canal was their next destination.

Moments later, everyone started firing. The first thing Roy did was throw a bomb out in front of it. It landed on the drop below and exploded, covering a small amount of land with yellow ink. Then, he created a path towards the puddle with his Luna Blaster and dove into the ink left behind. A second or two later, he reemerged, spinning his weapon. Already in the middle, on top of the barricade, was Debbie. She aimed her Jet Squelcher and started shooting around her. Feeling cocky, he ran towards her and threw a bomb up at her. It bounced off the pole in the middle and fell into the water, where it dissipated. The red-eyed boy tried retreating, but then a hot pink cloud surrounded him, suffocating him. He was shot in the back and promptly splatted.

Cursing himself, he scolded silently, _I shouldn't have done that._ He looked around before heading off towards the lowest point of the map. The scent of fresh water was especially strong here. It was quite refreshing, but he had a battle to get to. That was when he saw some Tenta Missiles raining down on Octavia, in a higher point of the map. She put the bristles of the Octobrush Nouveau down to the ground and ran to the nadir. She swung around Roy and stopped next to him.

"I saw you got splatted already," she noted.

" _Don't_ talk about it," the tan-skinned inkling warned. It was a little embarrassing to have one of his friends point out his mistakes...

He ran up the steps, where the girl the Tri-Slosher popped out. She threw a bucket of ink at him, but he was easily able to splat her with one shot from his Luna Blaster. Afterwards, he continued down the stone path, inking some turf to hide in as well. Still on the barricade in the middle, Debbie remained. With newfound determination, he shot towards her. He stopped on the edge of the catwalk and inked a spot on the barricade wall to go up on. Then, turning into a squid, he leaped at the barricade and climbed up it. He reemerged behind the girl with long hair. Debbie looked behind her and was immediately alarmed to see him, panic flashing in her orange eyes. She promptly received a blast of ink to her chest, splatting her.

Roy jumped over to the other side of the map and began inking some more turf. As soon as he got enough points for his Baller, he activated it. He began strolling through the area, searching for a target. All of a sudden, a wave of ink hit the protective bubble, enough to destroy the protective wrapping around it. He gasped at this, being caught off guard. He then noticed the boy wielding the Foil Flingza Roller standing down in the lowest point of the enemy's side, preparing yet another vertical swing. He tried running over to him, but the Baller proceeded to inksplode during his travels, forcing him to stop. Some yellow ink splattered onto the other boy's shirt. He yelped, causing him to miss his shot. This allowed the red-eyed inkling to go in and splat his opponent.

Roy looked up at the wall separating the different elevations of the map, and smirked. _What a fresh comeback,_ he remarked. _Good job, Roy. Good job._ It was then Maggie dropped down to the lowest level, spinning a L-3 Nozzlenose in her hand once.

"You're on the baskfishball team, right?" the girl with pigtails asked, approaching him. "My friend Bella can't stop blabbing about this one guy named Wyatt and how hot he is. I don't see it. Do you?"

"He's... always been more popular with the ladies." He didn't feel like disclosing to her that Wyatt was his cousin. He literally just met her!

"OK..." One of her beige fingers slid down to the trigger of the Nozzlenose. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "What are you tryin'?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing."

"Yes, you are." Immediately he took a few steps forward and fired a blast of the Luna Blaster, splatting her. _Another one down._ Seeing no other enemies, he super-jumped over to a squid beakon Via placed on the other side of the map. He emerged from behind the box and began swimming around. He reached the enemy base once again, though this time he was at the slope that led up to the spawn point. He noticed Debbie step off the spawn point, and her mouth opened slightly, as if she noticed the ripples Roy left behind while swimming. In response, the tan-skinned inkling remained as still as possible, waiting. She shrugged and started firing her Jet Squelcher again. The ink bullets got dangerously close to him, so he tried retreating. Slowly, though, as any faster would cause ripples and snap the long-haired girl's attention to him.

Retreating did not work so well. Someone had thrown a curling bomb towards him, bumping into him and forcing him to reemerge. He rubbed his head and turned around. The squid who threw the bomb, Maggie, and Debbie had both noticed him and were now shooting at him. It was too late. With both of them attacking him, he was quickly splatted. However, as he flew away to respawn, he noticed a beam point at Maggie's chest and moments later, a trail of yellow ink pierced through her and splatted her. _Nice job, Bon-Bon,_ he thought.

As Roy flew in the air, super-jumping towards another squid beakon, a yellow mist began to surround him. When he landed, a coating of ink now covered his body. He snickered and started swimming back towards the enemy base. They had managed to push further ever so slightly, now claiming the slope once more, but it was still not much. Using the Ink Armor to his advantage, he charged up as far as he could. On the platform above him, the boy with the Foil Flingza Roller threw out a suction bomb before swinging his roller up and down. One horizontal swing managed to break the armor, but Roy quickly disposed of him with a shot from his blaster. ...Then something exploded behind him, splatting him.

Once he respawned, the boy with hair swept to the side super-jumped to the same beakon as before. He tried swimming back to where he was before, but he was quickly stopped when the girl with the Tri-Slosher jumped out once again. He went back a few steps before popping out of the yellow ink. She was tossing ink everywhere, with some pink lapping at Roy's feet. He tried firing his Luna Blaster at her, but it was just a smidge short. He fired again. And again. The olive-skinned girl slewed ink out in front of her, but she, too, came a smidge short. Neither side was getting closer to the other.

Suddenly, the girl's short hair started to glow, and immediately, she activated her special. She slowed down as a mist surrounded her body, and a second or two later, she became covered in her own Ink Armor. This gave Roy an idea. He threw a splat bomb at her feet and ran away. He ran to the steps leading down to the lowest point on his team's side and watched as the pink hardened ink on the girl's body shattered. But that did not stop her. She started charging towards the red-eyed inkling again, even throwing a burst bomb at him. He jumped down to the area below, with some ink from the burst bomb brushing his back. Ignoring the stinging sensation it brought, he looked up at the wielder of the Tri-Slosher again. She dropped down to his level, swinging the slosher back and forth.

Suddenly, Alexis super-jumped to him. As soon as she landed, she dodge-rolled towards their opponent. She landed a few bullets on her, and she finished her off with a burst bomb. The olive-skinned girl exploded into a pile of yellow ink, and her gear sunk into nothingness.

"Booyah!" both of them cheered.

"Let's keep going," Alexis advised.

"Exactly what I was thinkin'," Roy agreed.

Roy started making his way over to the other lowest point of the map, located on the other team's side. When he arrived, he found it completely covered in pink ink. _They have an advantage._ He noticed Maggie coming up the steps, inking everything she saw. Her pigtails glowed with her team's color. _I have to take her out!_ At this time, Roy also had his special ready. As he ran towards her, he activated his Baller. Her violet eyes drifted over to the tan-skinned inkling, and, seeing him, she activated her own special. She, too, surrounded herself with a Baller, and the two quickly collided. When they intercepted each other's paths, they flew in opposite directions. Maggie fell into the water, and she sank like a stone. Roy was launched towards the center, coming dangerously close to falling into the pool of water there. He balanced himself before he could. Taking a deep breath, he ran towards the nadir and fell down there, where the Baller proceeded to explode. The yellow puddle left a scar on the otherwise perfectly pink clearing.

It was then Octavia arrived with her brush, swinging it back-and-forth to cover any enemy ink she saw. Together, they were able to cover up the area with yellow ink again. Even if Via did most of the work. The wavy-haired girl's hair started to glow, and she took out the Tenta Missiles launchers. Looking towards the other side of the map, she fired a plethora of missiles there. In the distance, yellow streams of ink rained down on another battlefield.

Before they could start travelling back to the other side, the boy with coffee-colored skin jumped down to face them once more. He prepared a powerful vertical swing, one in which they successfully dodged. Octavia tried running up to him, but he swung his roller once more, splatting her. He pushed it along, heading towards Roy. The other boy started running, but not to flee. Building up speed, he dashed to the wall and jumped off it, launching himself towards his opponent. He brought up his Foil Flingza Roller in surprise. Roy fired his Luna Blaster while he slammed it down, splatting both of them at the same time.

By the time Roy respawned, the whistle blew, bringing an end to the game. Putting his weapon down, he walked up to the edge of the platform and scanned the map.

"I think we won," someone mused. He looked behind his shoulder to find Bonnie, also having respawned.

He nodded. "Me too." He crossed his arms. "We won for sure."

Judd and Li'l Judd were quick to arrive. In the distance, they stood on the top of the barricade. Roy and Bonnie ran towards them for a closer look. It seemed everyone else had the same idea in mind, as everyone now crowded in the center. They did their little dance, and Judd struck out a yellow flag, marking the Rainbow Squids' victory.

"Booyah!" Alexis cheered.

"Booyah!" the other squids cheered back.

They proceeded to super-jump back to the tower to view their statistics. An overview of the map was shown first, displaying how much of a disadvantage the other team was at.

"You squids were tough to beat," Debbie admitted.

The boy that wielded the Foil Flingza Roller huffed and crossed his arms. "We were gonna win this time! I was just... lacking! That's it, lacking!"

"Just face it, we lost," the girl with the Tri-Slosher whined.

The number of splats and specials activated then popped up on the screen. As he expected, Roy was first when it came to splatting. Octavia had inked the most turf, however.

"When did you get so good?!" Maggie asked Alexis, surprised. "You were inking things like there was no tomorrow."

"Umm... practice," she replied.

"How much practice?"

"A lot." She shook her head. "Let's not get into it."

"Well, I'm leaving," the girl with the Tri-Slosher announced, heading out the door. "I want to fight some squids that are actually on Team Comedy."

"Oh, I'm coming with you!" The coffee-colored inkling followed her out the door.

"What about you?" Debbie asked. "What are you going to do?"

"I think I'm on the same boat as them," Octavia replied. "It'd be better to find someone else to play against."

"You don't want to play with us?" Maggie murmured.

"You know it's a Splatfest, right?" Bonnie pointed out.

The girl with the pigtails sighed. "Fair point..."

And so, the Rainbow Squids on Team Action exited the elevator and went on to find another match. Hopefully this time, they'll get a match against the opposing team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was... a very long chapter. But now, it's done. The next two chapters are going to be the first two parts of an arc! I hope to release them both next Saturday and Sunday, but we'll see. If there's no new chapter on Saturday, then the first part of the arc will come next Sunday. See you soon!


	38. Break-Ups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a pair of sunglasses shatters, so do friendships.

_Octavia's PoV_

Octavia and Roy walked through the streets of Inkopolis, chatting. While on their walk, they saw a booth on the sidewalk. Curious, they went up to it. Laid out on the wooden counter were various trinkets.

"Come, one and all!" announced the man at the booth, a spider crab. "Come take Timmy's Terrific Trinkets! For a price!"

"Ooh..." Via picked up a pair of sunglasses. It had a golden frame with black zig-zag patterns running through it. The lens of the shades was brown. Rhinestones were embedded on the sides. "I like these."

Roy leaned over to examine the sunglasses. "Oh, me too." He looked at Timmy. "Can I try these on?"

"Of course! Just don't run off with them," the spider crab permitted.

He snatched the shades out of Via's hands and put them on. "You have a mirror?" Timmy pushed a small mirror towards the inkling boy. He picked it up, and his eyes widened upon seeing himself. "Mmm... looking fresh."

"What about me?" She took the sunglasses off of Roy's face and put them on herself. She took the mirror and examined herself. "I think they look better on me."

"What? No! They're better on me," the red-haired inkling protested.

"No, me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Give me that!" A tan hand came to grab the sunglasses off her face. A few seconds after they left her face, Octavia grabbed it with a bronze hand.

"No!"

"You two, please stop!" Timmy begged.

"It's mine!" Roy snapped at Via.

"I saw it first!"

The two pulled on opposite ends of the pair of sunglasses, arguing over it, until finally, the arms snapped straight off. The front of the shades fell to the cement sidewalk, and the lens of it shattered on contact, sending pieces of brown glass everywhere. The remaining frame had become chipped. Both of them muttered an 'ow' as the shards nicked their legs.

"Now look at what you've done!" the spider crab cried. He gestured to the broken sunglasses, claws snapping. "Those shades went for a high price, y'know!"

"It's his/her fault!" both of the inklings accused, pointing at the other. Dumbfounded looks came across their faces upon hearing the other accuse them.

"What! No! You were hogging it!" Roy complained.

"You're the one that took it!" Via hissed.

"And it wouldn't have broken if you hadn't pulled on it."

"I wouldn't even need to if you didn't force it off my face!"

"May I remind you that you need to pay for my losses?" Timmy pointed out.

Roy growled. "I'm not paying it."

" _You're_ not paying it?" Via accused. "You should! You broke it!"

"We all know that's not true," he grumbled.

"Hey!"

"If anything, you should be the one paying it."

"I..." She stomped her foot on the ground. "I'm leaving!"

"Yeah? Well, me too."

The two inklings started walking in opposite directions, away from the booth.

"Seriously?!" the spider crab cried out. "You still have to pay for it!" Unfortunately, his plea was not answered.

* * *

At lunchtime the next day, Roy and Octavia just happened to arrive at the table they usually sat at the same time. Upon seeing each other, they immediately froze up. They glared back at each other.

"Go away!" Via demanded.

"What? No; I usually sit here!" Roy protested.

"So do I!" she fired back.

"Guys...?" Inigo spoke up, looking between the two.

"Stay out of this!" the red-haired boy roared. The boy with the ponytail recoiled back in fear.

"Well, I'm not sitting here if you're gonna sit here," the wavy-haired inkling affirmed.

"Me neither," he agreed.

Both of them simply stood there as the other Rainbow Squids arrived at the table.

"Err... What's going on?" Yuri asked, looking between them.

"Yeah, y'all don't look too happy," Perry agreed.

"A certain _someone_ -" Via glared at Roy again. "-Won't leave."

"M-Me?" The boy with hair swept to the side let out an airy laugh. "No, you're the one that won't leave."

The dark-skinned inkling looked over at Inigo. "Why...?"

"I don't know, I swear," he answered quickly, throwing up his hands.

Both of the arguing squids let out a growl of annoyance and stomped away in opposite directions. _Just why won't he go away?! Stupid, good-for-nothing, annoying..._

"Via, wait up!" Bonnie called, running after her. They sat down at a table towards the entrance of the cafeteria, far from the table the Rainbow Squids normally sat at. The wavy-haired inkling took an apple out of her lunch bag and took a big bite out of it. As she chewed the chunk, the girl with the double bun put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "...What happened?" she asked.

"Roy happened, that's what," the other grumbled.

"Via..." Bon-Bon closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the floor. "Please, tell me." She then looked up at Octavia with sad blue eyes. "We're best friends, aren't we?"

She couldn't resist those eyes. "He broke some sunglasses," she finally replied.

Bonnie blinked. "That's it?" She narrowed her eyes. "That's what you're mad about?"

"Bonnie! I thought you were on my side!"

"I am! ...But..." She frowned. "This is just so... sudden. You two were always such good friends. I mean, you're the reason I even got to know Roy-"

"Don't say his name," Octavia snapped.

"Sorry, sorry... You're the reason I even got to know _him_ and everyone else. Without them, I just..." She sighed. "I would have been so lonely." She put her head on the table. "I think my parents would have been controlling as they were back then, if the Rainbow Squids hadn't come along. I can't imagine us splitting up, especially not now."

In the back of Via's mind, she had a feeling Bonnie was right. Yet, she was stubborn. Roy still denied breaking the sunglasses, it was his fault. Why should she pay for them? It wasn't her fault!

"Via?" the blue-haired girl tried reaching out again.

"We hadn't bought the sunglasses yet," the orange-haired girl started to explain. "We were trying it on, but then Roy ripped it off my face and broke it." She crossed her arms. "He should be the one paying for the damages."

"Did you ever pay them?"

"No, because Roy wouldn't pay!"

"What?!" Bon-Bon cried out. "But you have to!"

"He'll pay it another time," she argued.

"Oh..."

The two went silent, eating without any further interruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry for short chapter. There's not much to it. But, we're heard Octavia's side of the story this chapter. What's Roy's side of the story? Well, you'll find out next week ;).


	39. On the Other Hand...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri learns what Roy thinks of the previous incident.

_Yuri's PoV_

In the Deca Tower, the dark-skinned inkling opened up the room containing the Rainbow Squids' weapons. The floor panels slid open, and he walked down into the dark room. As he searched for his splatling, he noticed something odd about the contents in the room. Neither Roy's Luna Blaster nor Octavia's Octobrush Nouveau was inside.

 _They can't both be doing turf wars_ , he recalled, shaking his head. Perry took Octavia to Marie's concert tonight, making it impossible for the wavy-haired girl to be out battling right now. _Has the split really gotten that bad?_ Worry crossed his features. _That_ can't _be the case! It has to get better!_

Yuri took his Heavy Splatling Deco and started going up the stairs. As he started walking towards an elevator, he quickly spotted Roy coming out of one. Upon sight, the yellow-haired boy started calling his friend's name, and ran up to him.

"Yuri!" Roy exclaimed. He placed a hand on his chest and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank cod you're on my side."

"Since when did we start taking sides?" he perplexed. _And besides, no one wanted this to happen in the first place!_

"Look, Perry took you-know-who to the concert tonight," he pointed out. "That's one less ally for me." The grip around his blaster tightened. "And Bonnie and Alexis took her side, obviously." Frantically, the boy with hair swept to the side added, "You and Inigo are the only ones left!"

"Roy!" He frowned. "All of us still care about both of ya." He bit his lip. _What am I supposed to say?_ "No matter what, we're still the Rainbow Squids."

"I..." Roy grumbled and took a few steps past him. "This time, it's different."

Yuri put away his splatling and caught up with his friend. "What do you mean?"

"The sunglasses..." The tan-skinned inkling shifted his ink color back to red as they exited the tower. Outside, they were met with the sight of a sunset. The entire time they walked, however, Roy never bothered to look at his spiky-haired friend. "We didn't pay for them."

He lowered his studio headphones, now placing them around his neck. "Why not?"

His friend swung around, looking at Yuri with furious red eyes. "Because Octavia broke them! And she wouldn't pay for it!"

"Why does she have to pay for it?"

"Because she broke it!" He pointed a finger at his chest. "It's not _my_ responsibility to pay for it if I didn't break it!"

"OK... um... _how_ did she break it?"

"She was hogging the glasses, so I took it, yeah? But then, she tried to grab it out of _my_ hand. She pulled on it, and then BAM! It's broken!"

"I see..." The dark-skinned boy put a hand on the side of his head, thinking. Silence rested between them. Soon, he finally admitted, "I don't know how I can help you."

"You wanna know how to help?" he grumbled. "Get her to pay for the sunglasses."

"Can't I pay for it mysel-"

" _No!_ It has to be her!" Roy interrupted. "I don't want anyone helping!" Yuri simply frowned in response to his stubbornness. The red-haired inkling then let out a huff and announced, "I'm going home. See ya." He stomped away, going further and further away until he was merely a speck in the distance.

 _Oh, Roy..._ Yuri got out his Heavy Splatling Deco again and walked back towards the tower for another match.

* * *

After a few matches, the yellow-haired inkling put his splatling away and started walking back home. He was just getting tired. It was night, now, and clouds covered the sky, though stars shined dimly through the fluffy canopy. As he walked, however, he heard a voice.

"Come, one and all! To Timmy's Terrific Trinkets!" someone advertised. He looked to his left and saw a booth, its counter covered with various items. Running it was a spider crab, though he seemed a little tired. "No inklings allowed!"

Taken aback, Yuri muttered under his breath, "No inklings allowed?" He walked up to the booth, and indeed, taped to the end of the sign was a paper with the spider crab's exact words written on it.

Timmy glared at him. "Are you daft? Didn't you hear me? Or read the sign? 'No inklings allowed!'"

"I did, but I just wanted to ask you somethin'," replied the spiky-haired boy.

"What?" he snapped.

"Why aren't inklings allowed?"

"Well, a few days ago, two inklings came by and wanted to buy one of my exclusive sunglasses. However, they had an argument and broke it! Do you know how much that cost me? And they didn't even pay me back!" the spider crab explained, crossing his arms.

"Oh..." _Roy and Via_ , he presumed. "Do you think you'll ever reopen it to inklings?" His yellow eyes drifted down to the trinkets on the counter. "Those are really interesting."

Timmy laughed. "What kind of question is that?! No!"

"Even if one of them paid you the damages?"

This caught the crab's attention. "Hmm..." He put a claw underneath his chin, snapping it as he was thinking. "I suppose I could."

Yuri pulled out his wallet, got out a pile of coins, and slid it towards him. "Here."

Timmy counted the coins, utilizing all of his limbs to do it quickly and efficiently. "A little extra..." he then concluded, "but I'll take it!" He reached over to the front of the booth and ripped the piece of paper off the sign. "Tah-dah! Inklings are allowed again!" He then got out another piece of paper that contained poorly-drawn sketches of Roy and Octavia. "Except these two!"

"Fresh," he said, ignoring the spider crab's last statement. He started walking past the booth. "I'll see you another time."

"Come again!" Timmy shouted as a goodbye.

As he continued his trek home, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Yuri took it out and saw a notification from Squidsagram. He opened it and was met with the sight of Perry and Octavia smiling for the camera, with a stage with a lime green color scheme in the background. On the jumbotron was Marie, who had her mouth open, as if she was singing. With a smile, the spiky-haired inkling liked the selfie and put his cellphone away. He continued strolling along the streets when he bumped into something.

He looked down to see Yvonne, rubbing her head as she stumbled. "Sorry!" he apologized.

"No worry!" the octoling assured. "I am fine!" She gave a toothy smile. Then, her smile fell, and she looked at him with yellow eyes as she tilted her head a little bit. "You no look fine."

"Huh?"

"You look... worry."

"Worry?" He shook his head. "N-No, no!" he lied. "Things aren't great, that's all! Everything's gonna get better soon." Yuri finished with a fake smile. He hoped things would get better between Roy and Octavia. They have to.

Yvonne was silent for a few moments before she simply nodded. "OK," she said. "Get well soon!" She proceeded to bound away, humming the tune to Calamari Inkantation to herself.

"But I'm not s..." He trailed off. Then, he did a little chuckle to himself.

_What a strange girl..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will things get better? You'll find out soon... Though, not next chapter, since next chapter's a Hero Mode chapter. There will be references to this split in that chapter, though, so keep an eye out for them.


	40. Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis gets a taste of her sister's playstyle with the Herobrush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.
> 
> Callie's dialogue, as well as some of Sheldon's and Marie's dialogue, is taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

" _Run! Leave now and never look back!_ " the mysterious voice demanded, though the phone had garbled their speech a little bit.

"Are... Uh... Are you holding the phone upside down?" Marie asked, worry edging her voice.

"Ugh... I totally was," the voice admitted, their speech clearer now.

" _CALLIE?!_ " the grey-haired idol cried, panicked.

"Callie?" Alexis repeated, merely confused. Right now, she was sitting in the lair of the Octoshower, who she had just finally defeated with one of her least favorite weapon classes—the charger. The Zapfish it held squirmed in her arms as she listened to the conversation over her headset. _What does her phone being upside down have to do with anything?_

"Umm..." Now that Marie had pointed out the mysterious person was possibly Callie, the short-haired inkling could tell the voice was feminine. "Nope, this is definitely not Callie! So just...leave. It's dangerous here! And it's not safe at all!"

"Ummm... Don't those mean the same thing?" she pointed out.

" _Whatever! Just get out of here!_ " 'Callie' demanded once more. "I'm not calling again!"

"W-wait! Don't go!" Marie pled. "Callie?! CALLIE!" The other line cut to silence. Alexis could hear the idol take in a heavy breath.

"Marie...?" she tried reaching out to her.

"I..." The inkling over her headset faltered momentarily. "I can't believe it. Could Callie really be working with the Octarians?"

"It seems so... strange," the bronze-skinned girl admitted. "I can't wrap my head around it."

"Look." Her voice stronger, Marie requested, "Agent 4, I need your help now more than ever."

"I'll try my best," she promised. "For the Great Zapfish... and Callie."

"Especially Callie," the idol reiterated. There was a moment silence between them before Marie said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

"Right, right!" Agent 4 proceeded to super-jump out of the dome, back out into the sunlight. She heard the cords connected to the boss kettle crackle, and down below her, the barrier surrounding the next launchpad shattered, granting her access to the next area. She set the zapfish down in front of her. She figured Marie wouldn't want to see her right now. "You'll be fine, right?" she asked it, in which it nodded. "Go home, now," she told it. "They're all waiting for you." With that, the electric fish jumped into the air and proceeded to fly off into the distance.

"OK, Callie and the Great Zapfish are up ahead," the grey-haired inkling instructed. "Let's do this, Agent 4!"

"Right!" Alexis proceeded to jump down to the next launchpad. She stepped onto it and turned into a squid to super-jump. She flew from the Slimeskin Garrison, into one of the tentacle-shaped formations in the canyon. Everything went dark as she flew into a small hole in the rock. She landed on a hard, metal platform, surrounded by a sea of ink. Only neon lights dotted around the floating islands helped to illuminate the cavern. "Woah..." She suppressed the fear rising up in her to move forward. She examined the platforms flying by. All of them seemed to lead somewhere else. "Where to first?"

"Hmm..." started Sheldon. "Oh!" he gasped. "It seems the next kettle... is on an invisible platform?!"

"An invisible platform?!" the short-haired inkling exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't worry, Agent 4!" he assured boldly. "I'll guide you." She nodded. "First, wait by the blue station!"

Alexis walked up to the pole with a blue neon light on it and proceeded to wait. Soon, a platform with blue lights rimming it floated by, and she hopped on it. As she rode on it, she watched everything fly by, right before her eyes. It almost made her sick, really. The sea below did not help.

"See those poles?" the horseshoe crab asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Fire some ink over there!"

As the platform got closer, she pulled out the Hero Shot and began firing it. At first, the bullets fell hopelessly into the abyss, but then, one bullet stuck to something. And another. And another, until a small patch of the invisible platform was covered. When the floating platform slowed, she jumped off it, onto the invisible stretch of land. She hid in the ink momentarily to refill her tank, and then she emerged, firing her weapon again. She fired around the perimeter of the platform until some ink landed another moving, invisible platform. She jumped on it again, and proceeded to jump to another invisible platform once she was close enough to it. Up ahead was a checkpoint, floating on nothing. She repeated the same procedure once more, the checkpoint activating as soon as she stepped on it.

Inking the area in front of her would soon reveal a wall. She climbed up it and proceeded forward. When she reached the end of a catwalk, she thought she had reached a dead end until magenta ink from some sprinklers landed on some more platforms that were moving in a circular motion. She dispatched of the sprinklers and covered one of the platforms in her own ink before moving on. A few meters in front of her, she spotted some more sprinklers. It was not her plan to take them down. Instead, she continued firing her weapon in the surrounding area until she noticed a platform in the very center of the ring. She jumped down to it, where she noticed something off about the platform. She pulled the trigger of her Hero Shot, firing it until a creak sounded to reveal a kettle.

"That's it!" Sheldon exclaimed.

"Nice job, Agent 4," Marie complimented.

Alexis smiled and dove into the kettle. When she spawned inside, she was amazed at the sight of artificial lights, shaped just like stars. Glowing specks floated down towards the bottom, and fireworks burst in the night sky. It was one of the prettiest domes she had ventured in, she had to admit. She shook some yellow-green ink off of her and was about to go on her way when one of Sheldon's drones buzzed by, holding a weapon case. It dropped it off in front of her, and the short-haired inkling proceeded to open it up. Inside was a brush with a theme matching all other hero weapons she has had to use so far. She picked it up and held it into the air.

"OK, take this with you," the horseshoe crab requested. "It'll help me gather some practical battle data." Alexis simply nodded in response. "If you love getting up close and personal, the Herobrush is the weapon for you," he started to explain. "You can ink the ground as you run, or you can slash repeatedly! You can close in on enemies really quickly, and then splat 'em to bits like a ninja!"

 _I wouldn't call Via a ninja..._ she noted silently, memories of watching her sister practice her skills surfacing in her head.

"With the Herobrush, it's all about swinging it until your enemy explodes!" Sheldon finished.

"Mhm," she mused. "I've seen it many times before."

"Then you should know this fact—you can ink as you go!" Marie pointed out.

Agent 4 put the bristles of the Herobrush down to the ground and started running, destroying any boxes she came in contact with. By the time the crates ended, she was just out of ink. She hid in the little path of ink she created to refill her tank. She emerged, and then some Octopods noticed her and started barreling towards her, a hissing noise sounding from its back. She started swinging the brush to protect herself, and when the Octopods leapt towards her, they were destroyed on contact with the brush.

"You don't have unlimited ink, so watch the tank on your back," the idol reminded.

"I know, I know," she acknowledged, annoyed. "But when have I ever run out of ink?"

"A few times," remarked the other inkling.

She groaned. "Fair point..."

The short-haired inkling continued running along, destroying any Octopods that ran towards her. She turned the corner, where she encountered a simple Octotrooper. She immediately splatted it and continued on. She soon reached a small orange crate. She broke it to reveal some power eggs, but a path forward was nowhere to be seen.

"The path ahead is invisible," Marie noted. It was then another Octopod noticed her from on top of a crate and proceeded to run towards her, down the invisible path. "Just cover it with ink and you'll be fine." Alexis took a few steps forward and destroyed her small opponent. Yellow-green ink splattered in front of her. She walked up to the crate the Octopod was on and broke it, revealing armor. She picked it up and started searching for a path to the launchpad in the distance. Slowly, she revealed the path to it, and soon, she reached the swirling circle. Turning into a squid on it, she flew off to somewhere else in the dome.

The next area involved climbing. She painted the walls with the brush before climbing up it. She repeated it, over and over again, until she reached the top. Though on the first level were just some crates, she encountered a lone Octopod on the second. It started charging towards her, but once it again, it fell with a single swipe of the Herobrush. The third and topmost level had a shielded Octotrooper on it.

"Those guys with shields are no big deal if you can flank 'em!" the idol commented with enthusiasm. The shielded Octarian noticed Alexis as it came around the bend and proceeded to shoot blobs of ink at her. Alarmed, the short-haired inkling fell back and clung to wall, where it wouldn't see her. A few seconds later, she heard the machine Octotroopers rode whir again, so she climbed back up to the top level and was met with the uncovered back of the shielded Octotrooper. She launched herself towards it and splatted it with a few swift strokes of her brush. Agent 4 pumped a fist and continued onward.

Stepping onto the yellow grate, she looked down through it to see the contents of the area below her. Some squid rings floated below her feet, which led her to an ink-covered area another shielded Octotrooper patrolled. She waited a few seconds before dropping through the squid rings and attacking the resident Octarian. When it splatted, a can containing Splashdown appeared in its place.

"Lookin' good," Marie complimented.

"Thanks," she said back. Alexis walked up to the can and picked it up. "Now, what about this..."

"Ah, yes!" Sheldon interjected. "Splashdown!" The inkling opened her mouth to speak, but the horseshoe crab continued rambling on, more enthusiastic than usual. "Use it! _Uuuuuuuse it!_ "

"Where would I...?" the agent started muttering to herself. Her question was quickly answered when she saw the next platform below—three Twintacle Octotroopers on an area covered in magenta ink, circling around an orange box. Squid rings floated above the crate. An idea popping into her head, she jumped off the grate leading down to it and broke the can as her feet left the around. Immediately, she yelled, "Hhup!" as yellow-green ink surrounded her fist. A circle marking the area of impact appeared around her, and quickly she dived through the squid rings, towards the box. A vortex of ink swirled around her on impact with the ground, and she heard the gurgled cries of the Twintacle Octotroopers soon after. When the ink cleared, Alexis found herself covered in more protective armor.

"Booyah!" she cheered.

"Way to be, Agent 4!" Marie cheered as well.

The bronze-skinned girl walked up the next grate and slipped through it, collecting the squid rings along the way. She plopped onto the checkpoint, where she reformed into a kid. She walked up to the unactivated grind rail bulb and swung her Herobrush, which proceeded to activate it and break a nearby crate. She picked up the armor that was inside and hopped onto the rail. She rode it down to the next area, another catwalk. In the corner of her orange eyes she saw... a Tentakook.

"Tentakook!" the idol alarmed.

"Marie, I see it," Alexis deadpanned, crossing her arms.

"Oh, um... carry on, then."

Agent 4 put the bristles of her brush to the ground and started running. As soon as the Tentakook noticed her, it started skating away, leaving a bomb in its wake. It splatted right in the inkling's face, breaking the first layer of armor. She quickly shrugged it off and continued running. The Octarian soon stepped onto something invisible and sped away.

"More invisible paths. Take it slow," the inkling over the headset advise.

"Woah!" Alexis gasped, stopping inches away from falling off the path, into the abyss. She jumped back into the ink trail in the form of a squid and reformed once she regained her footing. "Phew." She scanned the area once more. The Tentakook had left a trail of magenta ink behind it. She spotted it dancing on top of something. However, she also noted an orange crate. _Should I go for it...?_ It could contain more armor, after all. A few moments later, she shook her head. _I don't need it._ She put her Herobrush to the ground and followed the narrow path of ink the cowardly Octarian left behind.

It let out a cry and dropped a bomb again as it fled. This time, however, Alexis dipped into her yellow-green ink and swam a few feet back, not risking her second layer of armor being broken. After the bomb exploded, however, she continued her chase. She quickly met the Tentakook again, but however, when it dropped a grenade this time, the explosive simply fell off the edge of the platform. The Octarian jumped off the path as well, landing on another invisible walkway. The inkling followed it, determined to splat it.

As the chase continued, Alexis heard Marie groan, "I don't think I'll ever get used to this..."

Finally, she managed to corner the Tentakook. With a few strikes from her weapon, it exploded into yellow-green ink and promptly dropped a key, which the idol made note of. Agent 4 unlocked the vault up ahead, revealing the all-too-familiar swirling circle. She stepped onto the launchpad and flew off to her next destination. The next area, from what she could see, was divided into two sections. Dash tracks allowed anyone to travel from one area to the next. That's exactly what the Twintacle Octotroopers on the other side did—they jumped over to where Alexis stood and started attacking her. Their combined power broke her second layer of armor, leaving her with only the Hero Suit now. She started swinging her brush rapidly, hoping to splat them as quickly as possible. She splatted one of them, but the remaining one, which had some yellow-green ink spotting its feature, managed to break her Hero Suit. She didn't even notice it at first, though, as a few more swipes splatted the second one before it could splat her itself.

The agent rested a bronze hand on the railing to catch her breath after the close fight. Looking down at her hands is what finally made her notice her suit had broken. She tried to muffle her surprise over it, but a yelp still escaped her mouth. Moments later, however, the yellow sleeves of her hoodie appeared again, signifying the Hero Suit's repair. With that, she stepped onto the dash track, which flung her over to the other side. She walked up the edge of the platform again to see a mass of Octotroopers down below.

"What in the world are they up to?" Marie wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but..." Alexis started.

"I feel a big fight coming on..." the idol finished.

"Exactly!" the short-haired inkling agreed.

The inkling over the headset chuckled. "News flash—I'm a mind reader. I know _exactly_ what you're thinking," she teased. "But seriously. Be prepared."

Alexis nodded and walked up to the only orange crate in the line of boxes. Breaking it revealed yet another can with a special weapon on it, so she picked it up.

"Oh! That's a Curling Bomb Launcher!" Sheldon explained. Past the boxes, one of the Octotroopers noticed her and started shooting at the inkling on the battlefield. "Let 'em have it!" She broke the can open, and immediately she was equipped with the aforementioned launcher. She started throwing out a bunch of curling bombs, and the explosives started bumping off the walls and flying off of the dash tracks. Though many of them hit at least one Octotrooper, none of them splatted. However, a few of them were injured to the point where she could just run them over with her Herobrush. After she disposed of the last Octotrooper, only one Octarian remained—a Twintacle Octotrooper with a shield, but this one had darker tentacles than normal, and two thrusters were on each side of the machine it piloted. It was easily able to dodge most of her shots. As the agent ran around the battlefield, she picked up some armor, but it was immediately broken by this Twintacle Octotrooper. Finally, after throwing a bomb over its head to distract it, she managed to splat it.

Alexis wiped some magenta ink off her cheek and perplexed, "Why was that one so strong?"

"I think that was a Deluxe Twintacle Octotrooper you just faced there," Marie explained. "I've only ever seen a few in my entire life, but for eel, they. Are. Tough."

"Yeah," she agreed. "They are."

"Anyways, nice fight," the idol continued. "Get to that launchpad." Agent 4 looked to the side to see that a launchpad, like Marie had said, had appeared. She ran over to it and turned into a squid on it, bringing her to the next area almost immediately. There, a line of magenta ink sprawled out in front of her, and an Octocommander stood in the distance. She put the bristles of the brush down and ran straight through the line. The Octocommander started charging up its weapon, and some hissing sounded from on top of the crates that were in the way. Some Octopods were now charging towards the inkling. She swung behind a wall as the Octopods crashed into the ground. She hid behind her cover, listening as the Octocommander began its rapid fire.

"When brute force won't work, try using a little finesse," she suggested. Once the Octocommander had ceased fire, Alexis stepped back out into the open and continued forward, when suddenly a Twintacle Octotrooper popped out of the ink. She let out a surprised cry and started striking it, causing it to fall and explode into yellow-green ink. The other, bigger Octarian, had begun to charge up its weapon again. The short-haired girl smashed the boxes and jumped up to the Octocommander. As it was firing, she swung the Herobrush once more, splatting it.

"Yes," Marie exulted. Alexis progressed to the next checkpoint, to the next area. There, more Twintacle Octotroopers circled around a tall, wooden building. The inkling's orange eyes drifted up it until she reached the top, where a lockbox stood. She splatted the Octotroopers and climbed up the the building to be met with the sight of a shielded Octotrooper. It spewed a giant glob of ink right at her face, causing her to fall to the moat below. When she landed, she felt something pointed dig into her back, and then she heard an explosion. Her Hero Suit shattered once more, and she sat up with a groan. She climbed out of the moat and sat down in front of it, waiting for it to repair. As she sat, another Tentakook ran by, its path confined to the narrow moat, but when it saw her, it dropped a bomb and ran away again.

 _Hmm..._ She inked her feet and hid in the puddle left behind, waiting for the Tentakook to return. A little later, it sped by again, pausing right in front of her to do a little dance. This was her chance to strike. She emerged from the puddle and swung her brush, splatting it immediately. Left in its place was a key. Remembering the lockbox, she climbed back to the top of the wooden building and hid in another puddle of ink, waiting for the shielded Octotrooper to expose its back. It had actually shot out some magenta globs when she arrived, but soon it looked around, confused, and returned to its normal duties. At the perfect moment, Alexis popped out of her hiding spot and struck the Octarian in the back. It dropped a can containing yet another Splashdown in it, and when she picked it up, Sheldon proceeded to ramble about it again. She tuned him out and proceeded to unlock the lockbox. Inside was a silver thing with likeness to a fish—a Sardinium. She tucked it away in her pocket and continued on.

At last, Alexis could see the glow of the zapfish, far off in the distance. For a second, she wondered why the industrial Squee-Gs were not immediately heading towards her, but then she noticed some floating crates... or rather, crates on invisible platforms. She inked the invisible wall and broke the crates once she got on top of it. The first crate she broke contained armor, while the other contained a can containing Ink Storm. She glanced between the two cans—the one in front of her, and the one she held. _Do I really need Splashdown?_ A few seconds later, she shook her head and picked up the Ink Storm can, tossing the Splashdown can aside. Over her headset she heard Sheldon try to stifle a scream.

"Ready to get up close and personal with a couple of Octocommanders?" Marie asked, trying to sound encouraging.

"No..." Agent 4 whined.

"Now, lead those industrial Squee-Gs with ink and bombs!" she directed.

Alexis climbed to the top of the invisible platform, where the two Octocommanders present proceeded to start charging up their weapons. She threw a splat bomb at the ground in hopes of attracting one of the industrial Squee-Gs. Seconds later, both Squee-Gs running around started beeping and heading towards the puddle of yellow-green ink the bomb left behind. It was then the Octocommander on one of them began to fire. That Squee-G was the first to arrive, so that was the one the short-haired inkling hopped on. The Octarian looked down at her, anger steaming through its sunglasses. She swung her Herobrush back and forth, quickly splatting it. However, one Octocommander still remained, one she could not reach at the moment. It was then she remembered her special weapon. She broke the can, and out came Ink Storm. Holding the container in the air, she waited until she could get a straight shot and threw it.

A yellow-green cloud started travelling across the invisible plane, spreading droplets of ink wherever it went. The fire of the remaining Octocommander covered the battlefield, including the industrial Squee-Gs. Alexis now found herself standing in the sticky magenta ink. Following the assault, she inked her feet and directed the industrial Squee-G to the vantage point in the middle of the clearing. She climbed up it and used her bombs to direct the other machine to her, the one that would bring her to the zapfish.

Somewhere, she heard a gurgle. "You did it!" Marie then exclaimed.

"Did what?" She looked over to where the second Octocommander would be, only to see a puddle of her ink in its place. "Oh."

"Now, grab that zapfish!"

A few more bombs later, the bronze-skinned girl could finally leap over to the other side. She busted the barrier surrounding the electric fish open, and she promptly pulled the freed zapfish into a hug. She smiled and super-jumped out of the underground dome. She emerged from the kettle, and immediately Sheldon began speaking.

"Let me check your weapon log..." the horseshoe crab informed. "Yup! Data's coming through!" He paused, and then he commented, "Oh, man. This is really good stuff."

"You say that every time, Sheldon," Alexis pointed out.

"But really! You bring great data every time you test out one of those lovely new weapons, Agent 4," Sheldon noted. "So remember—the more data you get me, the quicker I can finalize my retail version, so keep it up!"

The agent simply nodded and proceeded to super-jump back to where she entered, where Marie was waiting. Her face was partially shadowed by her umbrella, but from what she could see, she wore a worried expression. When she saw Alexis, her lips drew up in a half-hearted smile.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey." She gave the zapfish to the idol. "You OK."

The grey-haired inkling frowned. "It's just... Callie." She sighed. "I really hope we can save her soon."

Orange eyes drifted around the cavern, thinking. "Where could she be?" Agent 4 wondered out loud.

Marie muttered something under her breath, and the other inkling asked for her to repeat it. "I think she's with DJ Octavio," she guessed.

"DJ Octavio? He's the leader of the Octarians, right?"

She nodded. "If..." Her voice faltered again. "If... If Callie really is helping the Octarians, then that slimy disc jockey wouldn't risk leaving her out in the open."

"I see..."

A silence now weighed between the two inklings. Instead of saving more zapfish, however, Alexis's mind drifted towards another topic—the split between Roy and Octavia. The whole situation had been going on for over a week now, and frankly, Alexis was getting tired of it. Like the others, she just wanted the Rainbow Squids to be whole again! Thankfully, Inigo had devised a plan to fix their relationship. However, they still needed an extra person to help them out. Suddenly, the short-haired inkling remembered the idea she had thought of before coming to Octo Canyon. Now was her chance to propose it.

"Hey, Marie..." she started. "Do you like Salmon Runs?"

"I..." The idol focused her starry eyes on the girl, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Just let me explain!" Alexis proceeded to detail the situation between Roy and her sister, then going deeper into the plan. Finally, she proposed her idea.

After she finished, Marie raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this?"

"Please, Marie?" she begged. "I'm already helping you save the Great Zapfish and Callie, so can't you help me on this one small thing?"

After a few moments, the idol finally nodded. "Alright," she said. "I'll do it."


	41. Fishy Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy and Octavia are put together on a Salmon Run to fix their split. Will it work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Grizz's dialogue is taken directly from the game.

_Bonnie's PoV_

"Inigo..." muttered the blue-haired inkling. She looked up at her friend. "Are you sure about this?"

"Bonnie, I trust you," he assured, moving Roy's tan hand to Bonnie's beige-skinned one. Now, both of her hands were occupied—Via's bronze hand was in the other. "You can do this."

"Inigo, what are you doing?" asked the red-haired boy. Both Roy and Octavia had been brought outside of Grizzco's. With blindfolds covering their eyes and ear muffs covering their ears, it was assured that neither of them would catch wind of the others' plan.

"You'll find out soon," the boy with the ponytail shouted loud enough for his friend to hear. Quieter, he put his hands on Bonnie's shoulders and told her, "Good luck." He lifted them off of them and started walking away. "I'll be back."

"Mm." The girl with the double bun nodded solemnly, turned around, and looked up at the logo of the shady business. She sighed and walked inside, leading Roy and Via along.

"Right on time, kid," Mr. Grizz greeted, ignoring Roy's presence. "I've got work for ya."

"Can I take this blindfold off, now?" Octavia asked. No one answered her. Bonnie feared that if she raised her voice, Roy would hear her and leave. "Hello?"

"Uh..." She glanced down at the bear statue, which only emitted a hum. "Bring us to the boat!"

An elevator opened up, and the three immediately crammed inside it.

"Bonnie!" the wavy-haired inkling whined. "What are you doing?"

"Who was that?" the inkling with hair swept to the side demanded.

"Umm, umm..." _Carp, carp, caaarp!_ Bonnie pressed a button to force the elevator door shut, and then it began to descend. In the darkness, they stood, the beige-skinned inkling gripping her friends' hands tightly. After it stopped, a hiss sounded, and the floor opened up beneath their feet to reveal a grate. She turned into a squid, tentacles slipping out of the other hands, and went through the grate, hoping the others would catch on and follow. She popped out of the pipe and flew towards the boat, landing on the deck. Roy and Octavia landed on it shortly thereafter, still with their ear muffs and blindfolds on. Bonnie took them off of them.

The red-haired inkling gasped upon meeting her blue eyes. "Bonnie?!"

The bronze-skinned girl looked around, and when she saw Roy, she growled. "You!"

"I-" He looked around frantically, and after a few moments, his brow furrowed, and he looked not at Via, but Bonnie. His red eyes seemed to give off a furious glow. She gasped and stepped back. "You brought me on a _Salmon Run_?!" he roared.

"Roy, please-" the blue-haired inkling started.

"He tricked me!" he interrupted. "You tricked me!"

"Roy!"

"Oh, you definitely deserve a butt-kicking now." He started advancing towards her, pounding a fist into a hand.

"Roy, don't you dare hurt her," Via commanded, jumping in front of her friend.

"Why should I listen to you?!" he challenged.

"Because _no one_ hurts my friends," she snarled.

"Guys?!" Bonnie cried out in fear. She backed up against the wall, her heart pounding in her chest.

It was then a lime-green squid landed behind them, who muttered, "Umm..."

Roy turned around. He gasped and stepped out the way for the others to see. The girls gasped as well. Standing in front of them was none other than Marie of the Squid Sisters.

"...Is this a bad time?" she asked.

"No, no!" Roy spluttered. "N-Nothing's wrong here!"

"But-"

"Absolutely _nothing_ at all!"

"O...K..." The idol sighed. "I'll get ready." She started walking to the door that would lead below deck.

"Wait!" Roy caught up with her. She looked over at him, confused. "Can you show me where I change?"

"You haven't been here before?" The red-haired inkling shook his head. "Alright."

After the two inklings disappeared below deck, Octavia immediately ran over to Bonnie and looked down at her. "Are you OK?!" she asked.

"I'm fine, Via," she assured her. "Roy just scared me, that's all..."

"Why'd you even bring him out here?" she scolded. "And why did you blindfold me in the first place? I'm fine with Salmon Runs!"

"I didn't want you to know he was coming," Bonnie murmured.

"Huh?" the wavy-haired inkling muttered. Bon-Bon repeated what she said, which prompted Octavia to groan, " _Nothing_ good will come out of this." She crossed her arms. "We're all gonna get splatted, and we'll lose our ranking, _and_ Marie's gonna think we suck."

"Maybe, but we're here now," she admitted. The blue-haired inkling started walking below deck. "I'm going to get changed. You better change, too."

"Ugh..."

Bonnie continued onwards to the changing room. She grabbed a spare Grizzco uniform and put it on. Thankfully, she was wearing contacts today, so there was no need to put her glasses away and spend the shift with bad eyesight. Once she was in uniform, she started trekking through the halls, looking for the exit to the deck.

As she was walking, she heard a grumble. Bonnie paused and looked around. Stomping out of the hallway in front of her was Roy, dressed in the Grizzco uniform, too. His red eyes drifted over to her blue ones, and he stopped, turning to look at Bon-Bon.

"What?" she asked.

"Though you still need a butt-kicking, I..." He faltered, and then started rubbing the back of his head. "I need you to show me how to get out of here."

She recalled the earlier events, of which it seemed he genuinely wanted to hurt her. "Wasn't Marie showing you the way?"

"She showed me to the changing room," he pointed out, "but she wasn't done changing by the time I finished."

"You didn't wait for her?"

"I can find my own way out!" he protested.

"But you're asking me for help."

"I-" He shook his head. "Never mind! Just... lead the way."

"Alright..."

Like she had said, Bonnie led Roy to the deck. Immediately, the scent of salt hit her nose, and, if anything else, it seemed like the sky had gotten only a little bit darker. The red-haired boy proceeded to lean back on the wall, crossing his arms. The blue-haired girl simply stared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she lied. "Nothing."

The inkling with beige skin walked up to the railing of the boat and leaned against it, her arms hanging over it. While she waited to arrive at the next Salmon Run destination, she could think. The first thing she fought of, however, was her doubts over Inigo's plan. Despite the boy with the ponytail's reassurance, she worried she would fail to bring Roy and Octavia back together again. And if it failed... who knows what would happen to the Rainbow Squids then? Losing her friends was one of her biggest fears, no matter what happened.

 _We'll just have to wait and see, then_ , she finished silently. She wished she had some of Yuri's optimism in this trying time.

She heard more footsteps walk onto the deck, but not a single word was uttered. She looked over her shoulder to see what was happening. Roy and Via stood several feet away from each other, glaring at each other. Marie seemed to be the newest arrival, as she looked between the two inklings before stepping away.

"You squids aren't much for words, are you?" she commented, keeping a straight face. Bonnie was about to go approach her and apologize for the others' behavior, but anxiety got the best of her, and her feet stayed glued right where they were. Nonetheless, the idol ended up striding next to the girl with the double bun, occupying the space next to her. She simply let out a sigh.

"Umm..." _So many things could go wrong,_ she worried. "Hi."

Marie looked over at her with starry eyes and smiled. "Hey."

"I... Um... How are you?"

"Pretty fresh. Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fresh," she replied. "The shopkeepers at the Galleria never had a problem with me."

"And your friends?"

Bonnie looked back over at Roy and Octavia. "They're... I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"They've been acting this way since last week," she started to explain. "All because they broke some sunglasses." She frowned. "I just want things to go back to the way things were before."

"Is that why the red-head looked super mad before?" Bonnie nodded. "Huh. ...What's his name again? It's like Rick or something, right?"

"Roy. His name's Roy."

"Roy! That's his name." Marie gave a toothy smile. "Thanks for reminding me."

"You're welcome." Once again, silence settled on the ship. The day turned into sunset, and there was a group of structures in the distance. The time to begin the shift was nearing. "So..." Bonnie broke the silence again. "Have an update on Callie?"

Immediately, Marie frowned. "Callie..."

The blue-haired inkling realized her mistake. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for bringing it up! Please forgive me!" she pled.

"Don't worry, it's fine," she assured. "It's just..." She let out a heavy sigh. "We think we know where Callie is."

"You do?" She smiled. "Does that mean she'll come back soon?"

"I hope," said the idol. "We have the best looking for her, don't worry." Despite her words, her gaze seemed distant. Bonnie didn't want to press any further, though.

She didn't have time to, anyways—Lost Outpost became a more discernible figure now, meaning they had to change their ink colors any time, now. Bonnie's hair changed color to a hot pink, and she noticed Marie do the same to the tips of her grey hair. She looked over at Roy and Via again. The bronze-skinned girl noticed the new hair color her friend donned and changed her ink color to pink as well. Roy's red eyes darted around the area, and with a sigh, his hair turned pink, too.

"I think pink suits you, Ryan," the idol joked.

"I-" The tan-skinned boy began stammering until he could form the sentence, "My name's not Ryan!"

"Whatever, let's go," commanded Bonnie.

Turning into squids, the group super-jumped over to the outpost, landing inside the central building. They resided in the ink for a little bit, until they all popped out with a weapon. When the blue-eyed girl saw what was in her hands, she squealed in excitement. _A Classic Squiffer!_

Via, who had a Dynamo Roller, looked over at her. "Well, aren't you lucky," she deadpanned.

Bonnie expected an egg basket to pop up in the building, but one did not. "A school of salmonids is gathering down at the shoreline," Mr. Grizz informed over a radio. "Group up and bring 'em down."

"What's the deal with guy?" Roy scoffed, gripping a Splattershot Jr. "How is he so sure there's no salmonids up here?"

Marie peered out the window, down at the shore. "Hey, Ralph, you might want to take a look down here."

The boy with hair swept to the side seemed to ignore being called by the wrong name and ran up to the idol. "Where?"

While Marie pointed out the salmonids to Roy, Octavia tugged on Bon-Bon's hand. "C'mon," she whispered. "Let's go."

"But R-" the other girl started.

"Roy can deal with his own problems; we gotta stop the salmonids before they get up here," she interjected before Bonnie could finish.

"Alright..."

The two girls jumped down the opening that led to the shore and ran to the egg basket. Past the basket, however, salmonids were already infesting the place. A Steelhead lumbered ashore, and once its bulging eyes spotted the girls, it started preparing a bomb. Bonnie charged up her Classic Squiffer while running towards it and fired just before it could launch one of its ginormous bombs. From its remains floated down three golden eggs. The wavy-haired inkling ran past her and snagged one of them before running back to the baskets. More lesser salmonids trailed behind her, but Bon-Bon simply took them down by charging up and firing her Squiffer.

"Wave! Double-Bun!" called Marie. The beige-skinned girl ran off the grating and looked towards the source of the voice. The grey-haired inkling was running down the hill, Roy closely behind her. A Scrapper drove up to them. Marie rammed the canopy of the Undercover Brella into its shield, causing it to stop. The tan-skinned inkling stared at her, dumbstruck. Before he could react to the idol's instructions, a wave of pink ink crashed down on the Scrapper's backside, causing it to explode and leave behind some golden eggs.

Near the egg basket was Via, smirking at her little achievement. "You don't know anything, Blacktip," she jeered. "I can out-perform you in more ways than one."

"You-" Roy ran down the hill and shoved the wavy-haired girl aside as he started firing the Splattershot Jr. All he did was target some lesser salmonids. He stood in the same place, until suddenly, glowing green rings surrounded his feet.

"Look out!" Bonnie tackled her friend, pushing him out of the way of the Maws's lunge. They skid across the pink ink, stopping inches away from the water.

Roy got to his feet, ink sliding off the rubber overalls he wore. "Whatcha do that for?" he snapped.

"You were gonna get splatted by the Maws," Bonnie replied, "so I saved you."

"The _what_?" he demanded, perplexed.

"Maws... It jumps up out of the ground and tries to eat you," she explained.

"And how did you know one was gonna eat me?" Another set of green rings appeared around his feet.

"That!" The beige-skinned inkling grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the circle. He whipped around and watched as the boss salmonid leaped out of the green puddle of ink it left behind, snapping its jaws before heading back under.

"Oh." Unfortunately, they were getting cornered. More salmonids ran towards them, threatening to push them into the water. "I can handle this." He started firing his shooter again.

"Umm... Roy." The next time the Maws tried to strike, Bon-Bon pulled Roy out of the circle again and threw a bomb in its place. When it ate the bomb, the Maws exploded, leaving golden eggs behind.

He picked one up, making a disgusted face at it as he stored it on the life preserver. "What," he answered.

"What special do you have?" she asked.

"Ink Jet, why?"

"Use it!"

"Can't you use yours?"

"Mine's Bomb Launcher! It barely does anything to a school as big as this one!"

"Ugh, fine." He took a silver package from his hat and tore it upon, and immediately he was equipped with a jet pack and a large gun. Pink ink propelled him upward, and he began firing shots down at the salmonids. With each shot, at least one lesser salmonid splatted, typically a Chum or a Smallfry. By the time his Ink Jet began to beep, a path was cleared for Bonnie to slip through. She swam past the remaining enemies, popped a golden egg into the basket, and came back to Roy, emerging from the ink with a charge she had stored. Her shot pierced through the Cohock that was about to slam its frying pan into the tan-skinned inkling.

"Booyah!" she cheered.

Before Roy could make his way back to the egg basket, another Scrapper popped out of the ocean and ran him over, splatting him. The boss salmonid drove towards the egg basket, where Bonnie stopped it. She rapidly fired weak shots at its shield until it broke down, stopping the Scrapper in its tracks. She swept around it and fired a few charged shots at its back, splatting it. She deposited those eggs into the basket and turned her attention to Roy.

A little squid ghost bobbed around in an empty life preserver, crawling its way towards the inkling with the double bun. "Ouch..." moaned Roy. The girl tapped the trigger of the Classic Squiffer, giving the life preserver a shot of ink and reviving Roy. Once he reformed, he threw the golden egg he held into the egg basket, as if he were shooting hoops.

The round was over yet, though. A Stinger had emerged from the water, and now it was firing a pressurized beam of green ink towards the other side of the shoreline.

The boy with hair swept to the side shuddered. "Why do they gotta use cooking utensils?" he whined.

"Is that a problem?" she questioned.

"It makes me hungry."

Bonnie couldn't help but snicker. "Oh, Roy..."

They took down the Stinger, and when they returned to the egg basket next, they encountered Octavia and Marie.

"We've been responsible for most of the eggs," Via bragged.

"You don't have proof," the red-eyed inkling hissed.

"I mean, Ray's not wrong," Marie noted.

"My name is Roy," he corrected, scowling.

" _Roy's_ not wrong," the idol repeated.

"I'm quite confident I'm right," the bronze-skinned girl argued.

It was then green markers appeared around Octavia's feet, and she gasped.

"There's a Flyfish somewhere," Bonnie informed.

"That's... kind of obvious," said Marie. "But yeah, we gotta find it."

"Why're you askin' me?" Roy shrugged. "You squids forced me to go to a place I know nothin' about."

Octavia's orange eyes narrowed into a glare. "We weren't." She started swimming away from them, towards the side Roy and Bonnie were just on. The latter followed her, not wishing to leave her alone. When she caught up with the wavy-haired inkling, she saw a smile form on her face. "I knew you'd come back." She patted the beige-skinned inkling on the top of her head. "You see that?"

In the distance was a Flyfish, its launchers open. "Yeah," replied Bonnie.

"We gotta take it down!" She started running across the grates again. "Let's go!"

Both of the girls pulled out bombs. However, when they arrived, so did Marie and Roy.

"Take out a bomb, Rex!" instructed the idol.

"For the last time, my name. Is. Roy." He complied anyways, pulling out a splat bomb.

"Now, wait for it, wait for it...!" The Flyfish's launchers opened and proceeded to fire some missiles. "Now!"

The four of them chucked their bombs at the launchers. All of them landed, and the Flyfish went down with a particularly explosive splat. Three golden eggs appeared, and the girls went and grabbed them, leaving Roy without an egg. He pouted, but followed them back to the egg basket. They continued defeating salmonids and grabbing golden eggs, stuffing the basket with them. Surprisingly, there were little-to-no casualties from the inklings' side.

Finally, the salmonids started to retreat, with Mr. Grizz saying, "Come to papa, little eggs... Now bring me more!"

Immediately, they all super-jumped back into the building, hiding in the pink ink. When they next reemerged, Bonnie held a Splattershot Jr. By Mr. Grizz's words, they were once again down at the shoreline. The second wave went by similarly to the first wave, though there were a few more splats. Roy struggled using the Classic Squiffer, and despite Bonnie's advice, he did poorly. They managed to meet the quota in the nick of time, and when the wave ended, everyone let out a booyah.

"Hey, you're enjoying this," Marie noted, throwing the Dynamo Roller over her shoulders.

"I-" Roy rubbed his mouth and then stated, "I'm not!" He started running back to the building. "You never heard me say 'Booyah'!"

They super-jumped back inside, and when Bonnie emerged, holding an Undercover Brella, the sky started to get darker than ever before, turning day into night. This time, the egg basket popped up inside the building instead of outside like the last two waves.

"Oh..." Octavia groaned, putting the Classic Squiffer she now held to the ground. "With deadweight like Roy, we're gonna be splatted."

"Deadweight?!" the red-eyed inkling cried out.

"Deadweight or not, we need to focus," Bon-Bon reminded them.

It was then Mr. Grizz informed them, "Here comes a Griller..."

"Wh-"

"Shh!" Bonnie shushed Roy, allowing the bear statue to speak further.

"Aim for its exposed tail," continued the voice. "That'll let your coworkers know where to shoot, too."

"Exposed...?" Roy trailed off when a big boss salmonid appeared, accompanied by rattling and some smallfries. A red beam was pointed at his chest. "HOLY CARP!" he exclaimed. He backed up against the wall and swung a powerful swing of the Dynamo Roller, but the pink ink simply bounced off of the Griller's armor.

"Aim for the smallfries!" Marie advised. "We'll take care of the Griller!"

The salmon pink tail of the Griller hung out of its back, vulnerable to enemy ink. Bonnie and Marie began charging towards it, shooting their weapons at the tail. Past the boss salmonid, Roy had the Dynamo Roller on the ground, splatting any smallfry that came in contact with it. With the combined power of the Undercover Brella and the Splattershot Jr., the Griller was able to bust open, and multiple tails began spinning around the pan.

"Help us!" the beige-skinned girl requested. "Hit the tails!"

The tan-skinned inkling raised the roller and slammed it down, sending another wave of pink ink at the Griller. On contact, it exploded, leaving five golden eggs for the picking. In the aftermath of the explosion, Via swooped in and took the golden eggs for herself.

"Hey, Via?" Bonnie asked. "Why didn't you help?"

"Look, he's so confident that he can do it by himself," she explained. "I mean, look at him!"

Roy had approached the next Griller, even though it was not targeting him, but rather, Octavia. He was waving his arms around, trying to get its attention.

"Hey, Griller!" he called. "Your mother was a blobfish!" The boss salmonid simply ran him over, flooding him with green ink and splatting him, but it was hard to tell if it was in response to the insult or not.

"See," the wavy-haired girl concluded.

"Now might not be the time for arguing," Marie interjected. "Look!"

Octavia looked down at her chest, then back up at the Griller. She let out a cry and ran up to the back exit, where Roy once was. She then proceeded to jump back down and swim towards the other side of the outpost. The Griller had to stop in order to turn around, which allowed Bonnie and Marie to get behind it. The grey-haired inkling tossed a bomb towards Roy, reviving him. She gestured for him to come over, so he did. He leaped up into the air, preparing a powerful vertical swing. After a couple seconds, pink ink slammed down on the Griller's tail, busting it open again. The group finished it off, allowing more golden eggs to float down to the floor.

The wavy-haired girl emerged from the ink and looked over at Roy. "Why did you help me...?"

"Marie told me to," he replied. "But that doesn't mean I'll help you every time."

"Looks like you got two Grillers out there," Mr. Grizz suddenly said. "Take them out before they barbecue your entire work crew."

Bonnie looked down to see a red laser pointing at her chest. So did Marie.

"Rob, Wave," the idol started, "looks like you two have to work together, or else we're all gonna be fried calamari."

"Oh, no..." Via groaned.

"We trust you!" the beige-skinned inkling assured as she and the pale-skinned inkling climbed up to the same spot Roy and Octavia had occupied before to avoid the Griller. Except this time, the threat of being splatted was doubled.

"I'm splatting them!" the wavy-haired girl declared.

"No, I am!" the boy with hair swept to the side argued. He shoved Via out of the way and started preparing a vertical swing to hit one of the Grillers' tails with.

"Stop!" She knocked Roy down, causing the swing to be not as powerful as intended. Both Grillers still stood.

Bonnie opened up the canopy of the Undercover Brella and began shooting at the smallfries targeting them. Marie helped in her own way by throwing a bomb at the ground, splatting a large number of smallfries. Yet, they kept coming as long as the Grillers stood.

Octavia fired a fully-charged shot from her Classic Squiffer, busting one Griller open. Bonnie and Marie took it down while the other two inklings focused on the second Griller.

"Stop it," the bronze-skinned girl snapped. She elbowed Roy's stomach causing him to fall over thanks to the weight of the Dynamo Roller. He turned into a squid and swam away to avoid getting crushed by the roller, leaving him empty-handed. Without an inkling wielding it, the wheel of the Dynamo Roller began to run dry. Instead, Roy began depositing golden eggs.

"Uh, guys?" Bonnie tried to get their attention. "Please, get rid of that Griller!"

"I'm trying, but Roy keeps distracting me!" Via argued.

" _Distracting_ you?" The red-eyed boy picked up the Dynamo Roller again. "You're the one who pushed me!"

"Quit it!" the blue-eyed girl pled. "Work together so we won't get splatted!"

It was then a group of smallfries started pushing Marie, causing her to trip and fall into the water behind them. Bon-Bon looked behind her and watched with an upset look on her face. This distraction allowed the remaining Griller to run her over and splat her. She let out a groan as she bobbed back up in a life preserver.

While Bonnie and Marie began calling for help, more Grillers began closing in on the remaining inklings. Roy and Octavia looked at each other, before looking back at the boss salmonids.

"T-They..." Via started. "They were right!" she confessed, falling onto her knees.

"Huh?" Roy looked over at the other girl.

"We should have taken that Griller down, together!" A tear fell from one of her orange eyes. "And now, we're paying the price!"

"Octavia, I..." The tan-skinned inkling kneeled down and pulled the bronze-skinned one into a hug. "I'm sorry!" he sobbed.

"I know, I'm sorry too!" she croaked.

"I'm sorry for breaking the sunglasses; I'm sorry for ignoring you-"

"No, I'm the one responsible! I broke the sunglasses; I ignored you!" Octavia interrupted.

"No, Via! I tried to hurt you," he protested. "I tried to hurt you _and_ Bon-Bon, and I almost went through with it!" He sniffed and released himself from the hug. "I'm a bad friend!"

"Roy, Roy! I forgive you!" she tried to assure him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"No... Who would forgive that?"

"You didn't mean it!"

"But I _did_ mean it at one point."

"Roy, let's focus on now."

"We're gonna get splatted..." He smiled and wiped a tear from his eye. "And I don't care! I just want to leave!"

"Yeah, we can't do anything."

"So, let's get splatted..."

"...Together."

Roy and Octavia stood up with their backs against each other, facing the Grillers. Immediately, they ran them over, splatting them and ending the shift. When the two inklings reemerged as life preservers, all of them super-jumped back to the boat, where they were revived. Mr. Grizz began talking about the results of the Salmon Run shift, but no one listened to him. Instead, they all immediately went under the deck and to the changing rooms, where they put their normal attire back on. Then, they emerged back out on deck to find the boat heading back to Inkopolis.

"Hey, Marie," Bonnie asked once they had all regrouped.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Can I take a selfie with you?"

"Sure."

The girl with the double bun pulled out a blue cellphone and posed with Marie. After she took the picture, she immediately sent it to all of the Rainbow Squids. On a separate group chat that excluded Roy and Octavia, she began detailing the events of the Salmon Run. Once the boat arrived, they all super-jumped back into Grizzco's, and Roy proceeded to bolt out of the building, into the square. Realizing why, Bonnie began texting a final message to the other Rainbow Squids.

'We still have a problem,' she concluded the text with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Did you think this arc was going to end this chapter? Well, that's not the case. I decided to throw a little more drama into there... Anyways, it's March now! What does that mean? Well... it'll be the first anniversary of The Rainbow Squids on Fanfiction.net! Isn't that exciting? On March 30th, you guys get another chapter, a day after the usual Sunday upload. I promise. Stay tuned!


	42. Light Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inigo is reminded of the happier times he had with Geneva.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: implied self-harm.

_Inigo's PoV_

_December 13th, 2016_

_"Ya think Geneva will like this?" In Inkopolis Plaza, Roy held up a dark green sweater with white squid patterns on it and showed it off to his friends._

_"Yeah," Octavia replied. Her long hair was tied back in a similar manner to Callie's, though she lacked the bow the idol sported. She had thrown one of her tentacles over her shoulder and was now petting it. "She loves sweaters."_

_"What do you think, Inigo?" the red-haired inkling asked the indigo-haired one, loose tentacles hanging over his shoulders._

_"Yeah, you're dating her," Perry agreed. His hair was tied back into a ponytail like most inkling boys, though he sported bangs as well._

_"I say..." Inigo paused._ It's green, and it looks nice. She'll like it, right? _"Yes."_

_"Fresh." He stuffed the sweater back into the gift back and promptly sat down on the fence. "Now we wait."_

_"What did you all get for her?" Bonnie suddenly spoke up. On the other hand, while she had long hair like most inkling girls, she lacked the bangs most of them had. Though she was quiet, she always seemed to be listening and always had something to say at the right time._

_"I got her this shirt." Via threw her tentacle back and pulled a lime striped shirt out of the gift bag she had in her lap. "It's the latest from Splash Mob. Cost me a fortune!"_

_"Ooh..." they all marveled._

_"I got her a hat." Yuri, who had six small tentacles on the back of his head, pulled out a white cap out of his gift bag. "It's not much, but I hope she likes it!"_

_"I don't see her takin' off that beanie of hers any time soon," the orange-haired inkling joked._

_"Not with that attitude!" the yellow-haired boy exclaimed. He patted her on the head, causing her to cross her arms and make a small sound._

_"I got Geneva..." Perry pulled some tickets out of his pocket. "...Two tickets to the next football game! She and her brother can go."_

_"I..." Inigo was going to say that she might not like it, but he didn't want to be rude. Perry shelled out a lot of money for two tickets, after all._

_"I... what?" Roy asked._

_"Nothing," he replied._

_"You're getting her nothing?" Bonnie asked._

_"Wha- NO!" The fair-skinned boy shook his head and waved his arms around. "That's not what I meant!"_

_"Then what are you getting her?" Yuri asked._

_"Yeah, I don't see anything on you," Octavia commented, her orange eyes scanning him for a few brief moments._

_"It's a surprise..." Inigo looked over his shoulder to see if his girlfriend was coming. She was not... yet. "But I'll tell you."_

_"Spill it, Inigo!" the dark-skinned inkling egged._

_"Yeah, don't keep us hanging!" the bronze-skinned girl agreed._

_"It's..." The indigo-haired boy put a hand on his chest and looked to the side. "It's a light show." His gaze returned to the other Rainbow Squids. "I bought a few fireworks, and I'm gonna launch them on the rooftops when she gets there. Then, I'm gonna take her inside and turn on these disco lights I bought." He grinned. "It's gonna be great!"_

_"That sounds so fresh!" Yuri complimented. "I kinda want to be there myself."_

_"It's just for the two of us," he pointed out. "I don't want anyone ruining the moment."_

_"I know, I know..." he said. "But it just seems so fun!"_

_"Yuri..." Roy warned._

_"Can't you lighten up, Roy?" the yellow-haired boy requested. "I wasn't going to bother them anyways."_

_"She's coming!" Perry announced._

_On the other end of the stretch of land, Geneva emerged from the Inkopolis Tower, brushing some ink off of her. Her long green hair and her Splattershot, filled with the same green ink, glistened in the sunlight. Her green eyes searched the area before laying them on the Rainbow Squids. She put her weapon away and ran towards them._

_"Inigo!" she exclaimed, grabbing the fair-skinned boy's hand. She looked over at the other inklings. "Squids!"_

_"So, Geneva..." Via started. Everyone held out their gifts._

_"Happy birthday!" all of them announced._

_"Aw, thanks." She took Bonnie's gift first, a thin box wrapped neatly in turquoise paper. She tore it open to reveal a box containing a Fresh Squiffer inside. "A new weapon?"_

_"You said you wanted a charger, so..." She met her blue eyes with Geneva's green. "I got you my favorite type."_

_"And it's the new one, too," the green-haired girl commented, holding the box up in the light. "Fresh."_

_"It's in the name," Perry teased, throwing some finger guns. Everyone chuckled at his remark._

_"Here's mine." Roy handed his gift bag to Geneva, and she proceeded to open it as well._

_She examined the sweater and smiled. "I like it."_

_"And here's mine!" Octavia handed her gift bag to the green-haired girl._

_She pulled out the lime shirt and gasped. "Oh!" She hugged it. "The latest from Splash Mob." Her eyes met with Via's. "Thank you."_

_"You better wear it tomorrow," she teased._

_"Don't worry, I will."_

_"My turn!" Yuri plopped his gift bag in Geneva's hands. "I really hope you like it!"_

_She pulled the hat out of the bag and proceeded to take her beanie off to replace it with the white cap. She tipped it downwards and gave a smirk. She gave a thumbs-up to show her approval._

_"Simple, but fresh," she noted. "I like it."_

_"And here's my gift." Perry handed her the football tickets. "Have some fun with them."_

_"Football tickets..." Geneva glanced between the tickets and the purple-haired inkling before saying, "Thanks."_

_"No problem." He snapped his fingers. "Anything for your birthday."_

_"So, Inigo." The green-haired girl turned to the aforementioned inkling, smiling. "What's your gift?"_

_"It's a special one," he replied. He walked up to her and whispered in her ear, "Meet me in Flounder Heights tonight."_

_"We're going rooftop running?" she perplexed._

_"It's more than that." Inigo smirked. "You'll see."_

* * *

_In a hero costume, the boy with a ponytail paced around the rooftops of Flounder Heights, waiting for his girlfriend to show up._

Where is she? _he wondered._ She's not usually late.

_It was not long before the green-haired girl arrived in her own hero costume. She walked up to Inigo and smiled._

_"Hey," she greeted. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and asked, "So, why'd ya bring me out here?"_

_"Your birthday present, obviously." The boy with the ponytail winked._

_"...I don't see it," she stated looking past him._

_"Well, we gotta run to find out." With that, Inigo started racing towards their next destination. "Follow me!"_

_"Hey, wait up!" Geneva yelled after him._

_Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, the two inklings ran through the night. The lights below illuminated the streets, while only the moonlight illuminated Geneva and Inigo. Every now and then, the latter would look over his shoulder to make sure the former still followed him. Her presence was marked by the lights the hero headset replica gave off—a convenient feature of the hero costumes they wore. They ran past Flounder Heights, getting closer and closer._

_Eventually, they arrived on top of an office building near the two towers of Inkopolis, Inkopolis Tower being closer. There, some fireworks laid on the ground. Nearby was an entrance to inside, where Inigo had stored the rest of his lights._

_"We're here!" he announced._

_"...To what?" the green-haired girl asked after an awkward silence._

_"Stay right there." The indigo-haired boy walked over to a torch lying next to the fireworks. He separated the explosives, picked up the torch, and began lighting them one at a time. After the last firework was lit, he ran back to Geneva and wrapped his hands around her arm. The fireworks shot up into the air, exploding into various colors. Green, indigo, and he even put a rainbow one in there. A big smile started to spread across the long-haired girl's face, the lights reflecting in her eyes._

_"Woah..." she breathed._

_"'Woah' indeed," Inigo agreed, a smile spreading across his face as well._

_"Inigo... You didn't have to do this," she remarked, looking at him._

_"But it's your birthday," he pointed out. "How couldn't I?"_

_She chuckled. "Ha ha, true. I guess you wouldn't be Inigo without going all out in the name of love."_

_"Oh, shut up." Despite his words, the boy with the ponytail couldn't contain his laughter. Soon, the two were on the floor, laughing until it hurt._

_Soon, they faced each other, tears of joy in their eyes. "Will a kiss make you shut up?" Geneva asked, inching closer to him._

_"Y-Yeah." The two met lips, and as quickly as it started, it ended. Afterwards, Inigo stood up and told the other inkling, "There's more."_

_"More?" She stood up as well, tentacles dragging along the cement as she rose. "Where?"_

_"Not fireworks, but I think you'll like this even better." The fair-skinned boy walked over to the door leading downstairs and picked the lock open with a paperclip he had in his pocket. "After you." He bowed and watched as his girlfriend walked inside. After she entered, he walked in and closed the door behind him. They went down a flight of stairs, towards a storage room. They stepped into the dark room. Inigo tapped a button with his foot and in an instant, the room burst into color. The disco lights spun around, spotting the room in different colors. Squidmas lights shifted between green and indigo, which were arranged to read, 'Happy Birthday Geneva!'. A projector in front of them flickered to life, displaying an ocean pattern on the ceiling._

_"Wow... That was nothing to compared to this," Geneva commented with awe._

_They sat down again. "Happy birthday, Geneva," Inigo said. "Happy birthday."_

_The green-haired inkling threw one of her tentacles around the indigo-haired one and leaned against his shoulder. Feeling her suction cup on his chest, he proceeded to undo his ponytail and let one of his own tentacles fall on her head. He wrapped an arm around Geneva and pulled her closer to him. Comforted by the warmth of her body, Inigo watched the lights, together with his girlfriend._

* * *

_Present Day_

As per his mom's orders, Inigo dug through his closet, looking for stuff to throw away. All while he chatted with Roy over the phone, being put on speaker so he didn't have to carry the electronic the entire time.

"I can't even look at Bonnie," the red-haired inkling whined. "Not without thinking what happened before the Salmon Run."

"You could try thinking of something else," he suggested. "That's what helped me not tear up every time I talked to Geneva after we broke up." The very statement brought memories of their break-up back to his mind, forcing him to bite his tongue to distract himself from the thoughts.

"Would that even change anything, though?" Roy muttered. "I still tried to hurt her."

"Roy, this is probably the fifth time I've said it—no one hates you, and we forgive you."

"How do you know? You're just one squid."

"The Rainbow Squids and I have talked about it. Multiple times."

"Who's to say they're not lying?"

"You really think we're lying?"

"I-I... No...! I just..." Roy let out a groan. "I can't talk to you right now!"

"Roy, wait-" And just like that, his friend hung up. Inigo sighed and picked up his phone. _Why is he being so difficult?_ He frowned. _I just want him back... I want Geneva back..._ Once again, he found himself with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Dang it, Roy!" He punched the wall, causing a box in his closet to fall to the ground. "Why'd ya gotta make things difficult!"

After the box fell, however, he noticed something fall out of it. Rubbing his eyes free of tears, Inigo picked it up and examined it. A disco light. Memories of its last use—Geneva's 16th birthday—came rushing into his head. Much simpler times, they were, where Inigo wasn't sitting here, loathing the break-up.

It was then something Fable had once said to him came into his head. _Just think of the good times you had with her!_ she had once said regarding how to move on from Geneva. And to him, the light show was one of the highlights of his relationship with the green-haired inkling. He doubted it would be something he would forget soon.

But so many things were reminders of Geneva... Perhaps he could rid of it? Once he was sure he would not burst out into tears again, Inigo made the decision to take it somewhere else. To someone who deserved it more than him.

Cupping the disco light in his palms, the indigo-haired inkling started walking down the street, towards Geneva's apartment. He arrived at the apartment complex, entered it, and took the elevator up to the floor the Gonati residence was located. Soon, he was standing outside of the front door. Gripping the base of the light with one hand, he took a free hand and knocked on the door. No one answered.

"Asher?" Inigo called. "Are you there?" From within, he heard footsteps scurry around. "It's me, Inigo."

The door pushed open to reveal a disheveled Asher. His hair had been taken out of its ponytail, leaving two tentacles to just barely drape over his shoulders. He wore nothing but shorts and a t-shirt, and he slouched, making him seem only just barely taller than Inigo. What was most striking, however, was the fresh bandages wrapped around his forearms. He had seen them only once before, and even then, Asher didn't want to talk about why he had them. He doubted he would talk about them now.

"Inigo!" the green-haired inkling gasped. "I-I didn't expect you." He tugged on the end of the bandage closest to his hand.

"I know," he acknowledged. "I just wanted to bring you this." He held out the disco light.

"What...?" The young man looked down at the object.

"You remember Geneva's 16th birthday, right?"

"When you bought a bunch of lights for her?" With a frown, he nodded. "I remember her telling me about that."

"Well, this was one of the lights I used." The boy with the ponytail glanced between the light and the older inkling. "I wanted you to have it."

"But... why?" Asher leaned against the doorframe and rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. "Geneva should have it."

"She should..." Before he could stop his tongue, he found himself saying, "But she isn't here." Sadly, he added silently.

He looked away from Inigo. "I don't deserve it," he muttered.

"What?!" the indigo-haired inkling cried. "Why not?"

"I..." Asher took a few steps deeper into his apartment, into the darkness.

"Asher?" he called. The green-haired inkling started receding further into the apartment, until he tripped on a slipper and fell onto the firm cushions of the couch. "Asher!" The younger boy ran over to him. "Are you OK?!"

The young man groaned and sat up. "My back isn't," he said, rubbing it.

"I know there's more to it than that," Inigo insisted.

"There isn't!" he snapped.

The fair-skinned boy was taken aback by his harshness. "But-"

"Leave!" he demanded.

Slowly, Inigo started backing away, towards the exit. Just as he was about to bolt out of the apartment and back home, he noticed something peculiar. Suddenly, it dawned on him just what Asher had been doing before he got here. With horror, his indigo eyes drifted back towards the other inkling's watery green ones.

"Asher..." he whispered.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I've been failing her." He shook his head. "I've been failing everyone."

"Where did you get that idea?" Inigo pondered. He walked back up to the couch where the other resided. "You aren't failing anyone!"

"You don't get it," he croaked, more tears flowing from his eyes. "You don't."

"Please, Asher!" Inigo demanded, kneeling down. He raised a hand, his fingers brushing Asher's bandages. "How long have you been doing this for?"

"Years," he replied. "Before I even came to Inkopolis." He gulped. "Geneva... I promised her I would see the day she returned. But now..." He flexed his fingers, balling his hand into a fist and then releasing it. "I-I don't know how much longer I can keep that promise."

"Asher..."

"I failed her at the Deca Tournament," he croaked. "You would have won if it wasn't for me." Once again, his green eyes met the boy's indigo ones. "You know how good Geneva is." His eyes dropped again. "I should have never accepted your offer."

"Look, Asher, look." The boy with the ponytail put his hands on Asher's shoulders. "I miss her too, but..." He paused, searching for the right words. "You did great at the Deca Tournament." He smiled. "Geneva would be proud of you."

"Would she? Would she really?"

"Yes. She would."

The green-haired inkling let out a laugh and hugged Inigo. "Thank you."

"Any time." Inigo patted his back. "We care 'bout you, too."

Asher let go and sniffed. "Y'know... I'm glad you were her first love, Inigo." His smile fell, and he looked down at the ground. "I'm glad it wasn't another her..." he muttered so quietly that Inigo could barely hear him. He decided not to press on the identity of 'her'. His green eyes met Inigo's again, and he finished, "I'm glad she has such an awesome group of friends."

"Well, you know the Rainbow Squids—we stick together no matter what."

"And I'm glad for that."

"Me too, me too." The indigo-haired boy started walking towards the exit of the apartment. "Stay safe, Asher. Call me if you need me."

Asher simply nodded, and the other inkling left, leaving the disco light in the young adult's hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A solemn note to end this chapter with. How in detail I can go with the ending is quite limited by the rating, but I tried my best, even if I feel like I am pushing it quite a bit. I really hope you guys get what I was trying to imply here. Anyways, I really wanted a flashback chapter at some point in The Rainbow Squids, and now seemed like a fitting time. The main idea I wanted to introduce is that Inigo and Geneva used to do rooftop runs, but I also wanted to show some of Geneva's dorky side, as well as go into how her disappearance affected Asher more. The next chapter is much more positive, I promise you.


	43. Perry's Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry goes to the gym and meets some familiar faces.

_Perry's PoV_

"C'mon, Roy," grumbled Perry. "Ya can't just shoot hoops all day."

The red-haired inkling continued throwing rubber balls into a basking shark dummy. "Yeah, I can, actually."

"But there's other things you can be doin'," he noted.

"Like what?"

"We can do a turf war together! Or listen to me make my next song!"

Roy threw a ball behind his back, causing it to bounce across the basketball court's floor, and then he looked at the purple-haired inkling. "Perry, name one person who likes your music."

"Jeleff likes it."

"He's a _jellyfish_ , they like just about everything."

"Well, Yuri likes it, too!"

"Ehh... anyone else?"

"Norman."

"Who?"

"Nautilus, about your height."

"Alright, so more than one person likes your music."

"And your point is...?"

"I don't have one."

"Well, turf war is still an option!" Perry pulled his phone out and walked up to Roy, pulling up Squidsagram. He began scrolling through his feed and stopped at a picture of the other Rainbow Squids following a turf war. "Look how much fun everyone's having!"

The boy with hair swept to the side huffed. "Why aren't you with them?"

"That's the same thing I could be asking you!"

"But that's different." He crossed his arms and turned away from the other boy. "You know what happened by now."

"I dunno why you're making such a big deal out of this," Perry remarked. "But-" He heard the sound of doors opening somewhere, so the two boys turned towards the sound. Standing in the doorway was Giovanni, alongside another inkling taller than Roy, with light brown skin and sky blue hair tied up into a ponytail. Interestingly, he was also rather muscular.

"Move out of way, squids," the green-haired octoling announced, holding an orange ball under his arm. "Me and Griffin are going to play basketball."

"Yeah!" Griffin agreed, pounding his basketball into his giant hand.

"What do you mean?!" someone else yelled. At another door stood Lori and another inkling girl with pink, wavy hair and an eyepatch. "We were gonna play basketball now, too," complained the wavy-haired girl.

"Deadeye, calm down," Lori soothed, squeezing her hand. She cleared her throat and asked Gio and Griffin, "Can we play with you?"

"I hoped to only pl-" the octoling started.

"Yeah," the tall inkling answered her question.

The girl Lori was with, who appeared to be named Deadeye, relaxed and nodded. "Alright, but to let you know beforehand..." She smirked, letting go of the teal-haired inkling's hand and dribbling a basketball. "I'm really good."

"You are?" Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "We will see."

Roy growled and started heading out of the gym. "Wait, Roy!" Perry yelled, reaching his hand out for him. The red-haired inkling still left, and a frown fell upon the purple-haired boy's face. He made a sound of dissatisfaction and turned to the other people in the room.

"Leave," the green-haired boy demanded of Perry, crossing his arms.

"He can stay," Lori argued.

"No, Gio's right," the pale-skinned inkling told the girl. "If I played, the teams would be uneven, y'know?"

"You can watch...?" she puzzled.

"Nah," he declined. "I was gonna leave, anyways."

"Alright," she concluded.

"Now, time for some music!" exclaimed Griffin. He pulled a boombox out of nowhere and pressed the play button, beginning the song Muck Warfare by Off the Hook. He set it on the ground and began shooting hoops. Perry simply sighed and exited the court.

The gym he and Roy were at, Mother of Health, was the main rival of Musselforge Fitness. Though the latter's main appeal was its many rock-climbing walls, the main of appeal Mother of Health was its variety of facilities available. Outside of the exercise bike room stood Bonnie, who was tugging at Oscar's indented ear. A book rested in the inkling's arm.

"Ow, ow, stop," the octoling with the afro complained.

"Are you sure this isn't a siphon?" Bon-Bon asked.

"Yes! You are the read the book of ancient octopus!" he replied. "Not octolings!"

"So..." Perry approached the two. "What's going on?"

"Hey, Perry," the blue-haired girl greeted. "I'm trying to figure out how octolings are different from inklings."

The purple-haired boy scratched his head. "...Why?" he puzzled.

She shrugged. "I'm just curious." She showed him the book she was reading, titled, 'The Ancient Octopus'. "I was reading this book. It has a lot of fresh stuff in it!"

"Like what?"

"Well, apparently, they're super smart, despite only having eight arms, and they're also venomous!"

"OK..."

"She to start pull my ear with no warning," Oscar pointed out. "Though, only after I telled her I no venomous."

"Hey, at least I didn't tell you to take off your clothes," Bonnie remarked.

"I can," he said, a smile dancing across his face.

"Please don't," she begged. "You'd be arrested if you did."

"Yeah, no one wants to see that in public," Perry added, trying to hold back laughter.

"The house of your?" the octoling offered.

"No!" The inkling with the double bun groaned and started heading towards the exit of the building.

After she left, Oscar mumbled, "Too bad..."

Perry crossed his arms, chuckling. "Please tell me you were jokin', Oscar," he hoped, turning to look at the bronze-skinned boy.

"I was," he confirmed with a frown. "To hope she get it."

"Don't worry." He patted the octoling on the back. "I got it." He walked backwards into the exercise bike room, throwing finger guns towards him. Oscar simply watched in confusion. Regardless, he decided to get some exercise while he was here at the gym. He took off his pearlescent hoodie, revealing a white tee underneath, put it in one of the shelves, and hopped on one of the bikes. He plugged in his earbuds into his phone and listened to an Off the Hook playlist while he cycled.

About ten minutes later, he noticed someone get on the bike next to him. When Perry looked over, he found Iris, fair hands on the handles, her indigo eyes focused on the panel.

"Hey, Iris," he greeted, taking one earbud out of his ear.

She glared over at him. "What."

"Woah, I just wanted to say hi," marveled the inkling. "No need to be harsh."

"I _should_ be the nice," she argued, "no _be_ the nice."

"Can't ya at least try?"

"Hmph." The octoling with poufy hair returned her attention to the panel and snorted. "Giovanni only want to fight inklings, to show he better. Simple arrogance."

"You're kinda the same." _And I don't get why that's relevant,_ he wanted to add.

"No. I have the reason to being mad."

"Well, don't leave me hangin'! Spit it out!"

She sighed. "I think no one listens now." She turned to look at Perry. "Lean." He did as she asked. Iris leaned towards him and started whispering. "Two years ago, before the Calamari Inkantation, I serve the Octarian army."

"I know Gio said Calamari Inkantation 'set you free' or whatever, but I still don't get why it's important."

"It to free the souls of octolings from the oppression," she explained. Though he still didn't get what Iris meant, Perry asked for her to continue with her story. "I station at one base. It design to look like an old mine."

"Oh! Like Bluefin Depot!" The popular ink battling spot was flooded by the same tsunami that ruined many other popular stages. After the water had receded, it had been destroyed beyond the point of repair, and thus, it was demolished. No one knew what was going to happen to the land Bluefin Depot once stood on. Multiple theories on the matter flew around, like a mall being built on the land, yet nothing remained confirmed.

"Exactly," she noted. "After I free, I live near it until it destroy."

"You didn't take part in any ink battles back then?"

She shook her head. "I stilled mad."

"So, what happened next?"

"One day, an inkling appear. We hear she had destroy many Octarian troops. We know her by one name: The Dreaded."

"The Dreaded..."

"I hear from one friend of mine—one spy—that the successor of the Dreaded destroys now. Call her: The Dauntless."

"Aight, aight, back to the story."

"To continue. The Dreaded tear through comrades—friends—like they are nothing. I watch each one splat. Forever." She stopped pedaling and slumped onto the panel. "I make a error. I hide. I fear. I think I no can defeat her."

"Ouch..."

She muttered something in Octarian, presumably a curse. "Only elite survive. They yell to me after. They send me to DJ Octavio. There, the Dreaded appear again to fight him. I learn her real name—Agent 3."

"Hold up, Iris. You're saying the squid Gio blabbed about when Alexis and I fought him isn't someone he made up?"

She nodded. "He appears to obsess on Agent 3. I no do get why." She sighed. "Anyways, soon, the Calamari Inkantation play, and then I escape. But, I still being mad at the dreaded Agent 3 because she splat my friends... and that I do nothing to stop her." She growled. "I _will_ get my revenge. I swear on the dead, so everything is finally perfect again."

"Man..." Perry frowned. "This Agent 3 gal sounds terrible."

"She is."

"Well..." The purple-haired inkling began slowing down, eventually coming to a stop. "I think that's enough for today." He hopped off the exercise bike. "See ya, Iris." The octoling simply nodded her head in acknowledgement as he departed. Perry grabbed his pearlescent hoodie off the shelves. He threw the necklace it came with around his neck, while he tied the actual cloth around his waist. He exited Mother of Health, and as he headed to his car, he spotted a group of people tending to some flowers outside the facility. There, he spotted none other than Yvonne.

"Hey, Yvonne!" he called, running up to her.

The dark-skinned octoling looked up and turned around to face him. "Hi!" she cheerfully greeted him. "I am planting the flowers!"

"Please, leave," someone else requested him. He turned over to find the source of the voice, who turned out to be a grumpy-looking grouper wearing a lot of jewelry. "You're disrupting the harmony."

"No can talk to my friend, Mrs. Liath?" Yvonne challenged.

"And I wasn't 'disrupting the harmony,'" Perry argued. "I just wanted to stop for a quick chat."

"Well, you're certainly not harmonious," she remarked, eyeing the pale-skinned inkling. "Two earrings on one side, but only one on the other? Several rings? That hat? You look like you're part of a gang!"

"I wish," he teased. Mrs. Liath made a sound of disgust at it. "So, anyways." He turned back to Yvonne. "Why did ya join this flower-planting club?"

"I used to be growing wasabi," she explained, "so I think I should to be growing something else instead." The dark-skinned girl looked over at him and gave a toothy grin.

"Interesting..." He smiled. "I'd best be goin'." His purple eyes drifted over to the grouper. "I don't wanna 'disrupt the harmony' again."

"Good," Mrs. Liath said. "Now go."

"Goodbye, Perry!" Yvonne called. "To see tomorrow!"

"Bye." With that, he ran to his car and started driving back home, bringing an end to his long visit at Mother of Health.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter... has a lot of talking in it. But hey, we got some valuable information off of it. Regardless, see you next week!


	44. Trouble is Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy sees some faces at Starfish Drinks, both new and old.

_Roy's PoV_

One day, Mr. Carp summoned Roy to his office.

"Roy Blacktip," he started, one white-tipped tentacle hanging in front of his face, "by your next shift, there will be a new member joining you."

"Why are you telling me this?" the younger inkling asked. "Newcomers have joined my shift before."

"It's more than that." He cleared his throat and continued, "The new employee told me he knows you personally."

"Personally?" He gulped. "Is he on the baskfishball team with me?"

Mr. Carp shook his head and focused his orange eyes on his employee. "His name is Oscar Margina. Do you know him?"

 _Oscar._ "I do," the red-haired boy replied, trying to say calm. Though his dislike of him was not along the lines of Giovanni and Iris, he still was not particularly fond of the octoling. _Why couldn't it have been someone else?_

"Well, don't get into any fights with Mr. Margina, alright?" he instructed. "I do _not_ want this business to have a bad image."

"Alright," Roy agreed.

"Good," the older inkling finished. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you." He rose to his feet and walked back behind the counter of Starfish Drinks to continue his shift.

* * *

A few days later, Oscar appeared to have beat him to the coffee shop. By the time he walked in, the octoling already stood behind the counter, brewing something. The red-haired boy took a deep breath and walked towards him.

"Hello," he greeted, crossing his arms.

Oscar looked over at him and smiled. "Hello."

"...You work here now."

"I do." He took the cup he was brewing a drink in and wrote a name on it. "Deliver this latte."

"OK." He took the latte and walked over to the pick-up counter, setting it there. "Latte for Beatrice!" A familiar, middle-aged inkling with long red hair came over to grab it. "M-Mom?!" he gasped, bewildered at her appearance.

His mother simply sighed. "Roy, you realize I have a life outside of the office, right?"

"Yeah, but..." He shook his head. "Mom, please, just sit down. You'll hold up the line if we just stand here and chat."

She took her latte and frowned. "Alright..." Roy watched as she walked out of the building, and suddenly he felt a little guilty for dismissing her.

"You are lucky to have the mom," Oscar commented from behind him. At his voice, the tan-skinned inkling turned around to face him. "I no meet my parents..." he murmured with a heavy expression.

"How...?" Before he could finish his question, the boy with hair swept to the side shook his head. "Parents or not, we need to work."

The bronze-skinned octoling sighed. "Of course you say that..."

Red eyes drifted towards the cash register. "You wanna take orders, or...?"

"I like the making of drinks," he replied. "I can no speak Inkling well; you know this."

"I know, I know..." Now, it was Roy's turn to sigh. "Fine, I'll take orders."

"OK. Be having the fun."

* * *

For the next few hours, Roy worked the register, taking orders whenever a customer came up to him. Near the end of his shift came one particular customer. A funny-looking inkling boy walked up the counter. He appeared to be around his age, with tan skin much like himself and blue eyes the same shade as Bonnie's. His head was shaved on one side, but on the other side laid four blue tentacles that reached his chin. Covering his mouth was a King facemask, and he was wearing a prune parashooter. Roy couldn't tell what kind of shoes he was wearing.

"Pardon," he greeted, "I would like some standard coffee. Decaf."

"Standard... decaf." The red-haired inkling wrote the order down on a slip of paper. He then entered the information into the cash register, and once the total popped up, he told the customer. "That will be 1,100G."

The blue-haired boy slid a pile of coins towards him. "Great."

"What is your name?" he then asked.

"Brayden," he replied. "B-R-A-Y-D-E-N."

Roy wrote it down and nodded. "Alright, we will call you over when your drink's ready."

"Thank you." Brayden walked over to the waiting area, while the other boy walked over to Oscar and gave him the order slip.

The octoling read over it, and a worried look proceeded to form across his face. "The name 'Brayden' is the familiar," he mused.

"With that spelling and everythin'?" Roy questioned.

He nodded. "The friend of Iris is named Brayden." He leaned closer to the red-haired inkling and whispered, "An octoling, like me."

"Is it this Brayden an octoling?" Roy asked.

"I can tell, but where is he?" He turned Oscar around and pointed to the blue-haired boy. The bronze-skinned looked up at Roy and nodded.

"Really?" he gasped.

"I do not lie, do I?"

"Stop chatting and make the order!" one of their coworkers complained.

"Sorry, sorry!" Oscar apologized, snapping right back to the machine to continue brewing the coffee. After he made Brayden's order, he handed the cup to Roy, who proceeded to call for him. The blue-haired boy approached the counter and swiped the coffee out of the red-haired inkling's hands before going to a table and sitting back down.

He returned to the cash register and took the next customer's orders. As he took orders, however, his red eyes were focused on Brayden. The supposed octoling sipped his coffee every-now-and-then while scrolling through the contents on his phone. Just at it seemed like Brayden was finished drinking, Oscar retired from the coffee-brewing machines and started to head towards the exit of Starfish Drinks.

"Oscar!" the tan-skinned inkling called. "Where are you going?"

"My shift is done," he replied. The bronze-skinned octoling had stopped in the doorway, turning his head to look towards his coworker.

"Already?" Red eyes glanced up at the clock, then back into orange eyes. "Then my shift's done, too." He walked towards Oscar, hoping to follow him out of the coffee shop. Unfortunately, he crossed paths with Brayden, who was trying to leave the building, too. "Umm..." Roy started, annoyed. "Can I leave?"

"I was trying to leave, too," the boy with a sidecut argued. "You might work here, but I have better things to do."

"Like what?" he challenged, crossing his arms.

"Roy...!" the octoling with the afro whined. "No fight!"

"Oscar, leave," the red-haired inkling demanded. "This isn't your problem." Oscar's eyes widened, but he simply gave a nod and darted away into the streets. There goes my chance to talk to him, Roy grumbled to himself. He focused on Brayden again, narrowing his eyes.

"Is he your friend?" the blue-haired octoling questioned.

"I-" Becoming flustered, he shook his head. "N-No!"

"It seems like he is."

"We just work together, nothing more than that!" Roy straightened and started to march out of Starfish Drinks. "Good day!" he concluded.

Still in his uniform, the tan-skinned inkling traversed the streets of Inkopolis, towards the square, where he could potentially play some turf wars. Yet, he was not in the mood for turf wars, or any ink battles, right now. _I need to talk to someone..._ He could talk to Oscar, but he had seemingly disappeared after leaving the shop.

Eventually, he arrived at the square, standing on top of the marking resembling the one found on spawn points. He put his hands on his hips and scanned the area. Past the Crust Bucket sat a group of familiar inklings. The Rainbow Squids. Except, he was not present. He gulped.

 _Would they really accept me after all I've done?_ Everyone he had talked to seemed to think so, but the doubt still remained. He started to remember facing Bonnie on the ship, ready to beat her up. He remembered Octavia jumping in front of her, demanding him to stop. He remembered the fear in those blue eyes...

His friends seemed to notice him, as they looked in his direction and waved. He waved back and, after giving himself some encouragement, approached them.

"Hey," he greeted, putting a hand behind his head.

"Yo!" Perry greeted back, making a gesture in the manner of Pearl. Yuri fist-bumped with the pale-skinned inkling and nodded to acknowledge Roy's presence.

"Hi," said Inigo. Octavia said the same thing after him.

"Hey!" Alexis cheered, smiling. "You're here!"

Bonnie was the last to speak. "Nice to see you."

"N-Nice to see you too," Roy concluded. "Can I... join you?"

"Of course," the boy with the ponytail replied. The red-haired inkling walked up to the empty chair at the table and took a seat. He sat down and placed his elbows on the reflective surface, digging his fists into his cheeks. "Hey," Inigo noted, "you don't look happy." He chuckled. "But then again, you're usually grumpy." The Rainbow Squids, including Roy, laughed at his comment.

"But seriously, what's wrong?" Via followed up.

"Nothing," he lied. "I'm fine."

"C'mon..." she teased, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not," he emphasized.

The wavy-haired girl sighed. "Alright..." She leaned back in her chair. "Just... call us if you need anything."

"Umm..." He started fidgeting with his fingers. "I'm sorry," Roy apologized, looking at Bonnie. Her eyes widened at his statement. "For trying to hurt you."

"Roy, it's fine," Bon-Bon assured him.

"You sure?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Yeah. The past is the past. I wouldn't hate you forever just because you tried to hurt me one time."

"Really?"

"Really." The blue-haired girl stood up and held her arms out. "Wanna hug?"

Teary-eyed, Roy simply smiled and threw himself into Bonnie's arms. The girl was a little offset by his height at first, but once he settled in, she gave him a pat on the back. After a few seconds, they let go, smiling.

"We're glad you're back, Roy," she stated.

"All of us," remarked Inigo.

The red-haired inkling wiped a tear from his eyes. "Guys..."

At last, the Rainbow Squids were reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys noticed that the members of Octa Prisma parallel the members of the Rainbow Squids by now. So, by that logic, you would assume that Brayden would be described with Bonnie's skin tone, right? Well, obviously that isn't the case, and there's a reason for that!
> 
> Anyways, you know what tomorrow is... the one-year anniversary of The Rainbow Squids! As promised, I'll post a new chapter tomorrow, same time as always. Normally, I would have school tomorrow, but due to current events, school is cancelled for the next few weeks. Which only gives me more time to write. Anyways, prepare yourselves for my one-year anniversary speech tomorrow, and see you then!


	45. An Unexpected Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia finds herself with an unexpected teammate during the Money vs. Love Splatfest.

_Octavia's PoV_

"Kissing booth!" someone yelled. Today was the Valentine's Day fair, and many of the youth had flocked to the fairgrounds, located in Deca Wings, following school. "One kiss for the low price of 100G?"

"100G?!" Octavia stuck her tongue out, making a sound of disgust. "A kiss should be free!"

"It's a disgrace it even costs money!" Alexis complained.

"Hey, you-"

The younger inkling interrupted her sister before she could finish. "Besides, who wants a yucky kiss anyways?"

"Wait, don't tell me..." Via did a dramatic gasp. "You chose Team Money for the next Splatfest!"

"That's exactly what I did," she confirmed. "I can't stand the thought of attaching myself to someone for the rest of my life."

"What about loving someone as a friend? Family?"

"Well, yeah, I love you, I love Mom and Dad, I love my friends, but..." She shrugged. "Not a boyfriend or a girlfriend."

"Didn't you ask Inigo about kissing Geneva one time?" Speaking of Inigo, tomorrow, the 15th, was his birthday. Octavia still needed to by a gift for him.

"I did?"

"Huh. I could of sworn that happened." She shook her head and started walking towards one of the lines for the kissing booth. "Alexis, even if you _did_ choose Team Money, you're greatly underestimating love!" she shouted.

"And _you're_ underestimating the power of money!" the short-haired girl called back, smirking after she finished her declaration.

* * *

"You squids _all_ chose Team Love?!" Alexis cried out in disbelief. Right now, the Rainbow Squids stood outside the Deca Tower, near where Judd and Li'l Judd usually resided.

"Aw, not _all_ of us," Perry comforted. He walked up to her and threw an arm around her. "Ya got me."

"I guess..." she grumbled.

"This situation is familiar..." Bonnie mused.

"Like..." Via put a hand on her chin, thinking. "Oh!" She turned to face the others. "The Mayo vs. Ketchup Splatfest!"

"I still can't believe Team Mayo won back then," Roy commented.

"Well, now we know mayo is the superior condiment," the girl with the double-bun bragged.

"Ketchup's superior in my heart," Yuri fired back with a smile.

Everyone laughed. "But, Alexis," Perry started, "it's times like these that I'm glad you're part of the Rainbow Squids."

"So you won't be alone?" Alexis snapped.

Purple eyes widened at the comment. "W-Well..."

"Hey, Perry, look at it this way," the boy with spiky hair spoke up. "If Geneva was here, she mighta picked Team Money, and she could have joined you."

Recalling the talk she had with Alexis at Shellendorf Institute a while back, Octavia pointed out, "Yuri, that's not helping."

"It's not my fault she went on a super-long vacation!" he argued.

"It's no one's fault!" Perry blurted. "She just decided to leave for some reason, and she hasn't come back."

"I should have stopped her," Inigo admitted. "I could have convinced her not to go on this vacation!"

"But she said we couldn't _do_ anything to stop her!" the tan-skinned inkling pointed out.

"We still could have tried!" Yuri noted.

"No, we couldn't," Bonnie murmured. "She seemed pretty set in her ways."

"Guys, stop..." Alexis whined. "I just wanna do some turf wars." Everyone stopped arguing and turned to face the short-haired girl. "It's a Splatfest; we're supposed to have fun." She frowned. "But you squids are so caught up in the fact that Geneva's gone."

"She's not gone!" Roy declared. "S-She'll come back; she has to!"

Octavia sighed. "I dunno..." She frowned. "She's been on this vacation since _August_ , and we don't know when she'll come back."

"Do you ever wonder..." the beige-skinned girl started, "...If she just used the vacation as an excuse, and she really just wanted to go back home?"

"To the farm?" Inigo questioned. "She wouldn't do that; we're her best friends."

"There's gotta be another explanation," the dark-skinned inkling insisted. "Like, what if she meant to come back sooner, but something happened and she can't?"

"That..." Via looked over at her friend. "...Actually makes sense."

"That still doesn't explain why she went on it in the first place," Bon-Bon remarked.

"Ahem." Octavia looked past Perry and Alexis to see Giovanni standing behind them. In one hand was an Octo Shot Replica, filled with pink ink, and in the other was a green squid-shaped phone. Though he kept a straight face, his eyes suggested he was feeling something else, though she couldn't place a finger on what emotion. "Hello."

The short-haired girl turned around and made a yelping noise on sight of the octoling. "You were _eavesdropping_?!"

"Alexis..." Via whispered to her sister. "Be nice." Louder, she greeted Gio, "Hi."

The boy with the mohawk nodded. "I was eavesdropping, yes," he admitted, "but not for very long."

"What did you hear?" Roy asked him.

"About Geneva," he replied.

"Gio." Inigo pushed his way through his friends to face the octoling. "You said you knew something about Geneva. What?"

"Do you think I will tell you?" he sassed.

"Please?" Yuri begged. "I'll give you one of my Squid Sister CDs!"

In a sudden change in demeanor, Giovanni excitedly asked, "Does it have the Calamari Inkantation?"

His yellow eyes blinked. "Yeah, why?"

He snickered. "Fine. I will tell you what I know." Everyone leaned in closer to listen to him. "Geneva has a secret." His green eyes glanced down at the phone in his hands momentarily, then back to the inklings. "I cannot tell the secret."

"What?!" Roy cried. "Why not?!"

"Augh, you set me up," Yuri noted.

"The secret is dangerous," he explained, "and to tell will lead to bad things."

"C'mon, it can't be _that_ bad," Octavia encouraged.

The octoling sighed. "I learned that the inklings live happy," Gio mused, "and they cannot realize the truth. They prefer to change the truth because they do not want to realize the dangers within."

"You're making this too deep," Perry stated. "Can't we just go do some turf wars and have fun today?"

"Hmph. Fine." He put both items in his hands away and crossed his arms, staying where he stood.

"Remember, Gio. One day," Inigo started, "I _will_ get that secret out of you." He then backed away, towards his other friends on Team Love.

"You may try," the fair-skinned boy challenged with a smirk, "but I will not give up easy."

A silence settled between them, until Alexis broke it by asking, "Why are you still here?"

"My friends choose Team Money," he replied.

"I didn't even know ya had love in ya," Perry joked.

"You are assuming I do not have the feelings," Giovanni lamented, throwing his arms down. "I love to battle, especially against the inklings."

"Ehh, fair point," the pale-skinned inkling remarked.

"Alright, first point of business," Octavia spoke up, pounding a fist into her hand. "We've been sitting here long enough, and there's five of us on Team Love, not counting Gio." She looked between her friends and asked, "So, who's gonna team up with him?" No one answered. The wavy-haired girl turned to the octoling. "Guess I'm going with you."

He sighed. "Fine. I do not have anyone else to battle with."

"Fresh! Let's go!"

After they grabbed their weapons from inside the Deca Tower, the Rainbow Squids said their goodbyes and went into separate elevators. The entire time, Via kept a close eye on Gio, making sure he didn't wander off when she wasn't working. Fortunately, he stayed by her side. He even seemed annoyed by her constant check-ups on me. They stepped into an empty elevator, and a few moments later, two new inklings walked in, holding hands.

One inkling was a boy with light brown skin and blue eyes, wearing a headlamp helmet that made his haircut unclear, along with Annaki Arachno boots on his feet. In his free hand was a Splat Brella. The other inkling was a girl with mocha-colored skin, long hair, and orange eyes, wearing some splash goggles and custom trail boots. Like the boy, she also wielded the Splat Brella. Both inklings wore a pink tee that marked them as members of Team Love.

"You two dating?" Octavia asked the first thing that came to her mind when she saw them.

"Yeah," confirmed the girl.

"We got together on Valentine's Day," noted the boy.

"That's what I thought," she said.

Next, their opponents walked in, and they happened to be familiar faces—Octa Prisma. Oscar, Yvonne, and Iris were all present, wearing golden tees marking them as members of Team Money. The fourth person with them, however, was one she did not recognize. He had tan skin and hair styled into a sidecut, falling on the same side Roy's hair was swept to. Judging by his resemblance to the group of octolings, Octavia could only assume he was an octoling, too.

"Giovanni!" Yvonne exclaimed. "I no do know you will be here!"

"Octavia is with you," Iris mused.

"Enough!" the fair-skinned boy demanded. His green eyes drifted towards the new octoling. "Who is this?"

"Brayden," the octoling with poufy hair responded. "He is my friend."

"Oh, him," he deadpanned.

"She came to me," Brayden spoke up, "because she said you had joined the other team."

"Huh." Giovanni lifted his Octo Shot Replica, pointing it towards the blue-eyed octoling. "This does not mean you are the member of Octa Prisma, Brayden."

"I know," he acknowledged.

The elevator door closed, and they started to descend into the tower. As always, a grate soon opened beneath their feet, and by transforming, they were able to slip through it and travel to the stage they would battle on. Moments later, Octavia emerged on the spawn point of the stage, allowing her to examine it quickly. It was most certainly a Shifty Station—in the center of the valley was a glowing cannon, not unlike the ones she would find during a Cohock Charge.

Quickly, the battle began. Putting the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau to the ground, Via immediately charged towards the central cannon, wishing to try it out. Just as she was running up the hill, however, someone had beat her to it. With an inkling—or octoling, in this case—inside, the artillery shield glowed a golden color. The bore turned to point directly at her, and anticipating a missile to fire out of it, Octavia jumped out of the way, a projectile soaring past her and exploding into a pile of gold ink further down the slope.

"You know what's weird?" she put the question out there. She put the brush down to the ground again and swung around the cannon. "Being attacked by one of these after using it in Salmon Runs for so long!" Before the person inside could answer, she swung her brush back-and-forth at the shield, and a few seconds later, she heard a masculine scream from within as pink ink splattered around the cannon. Seeing as the cannon was free now, she cheered and hopped inside.

In the cannon, her vision was rather limited. She spun around, looking for a target. Towards the enemy base, she could just barely see ripples in the ink, getting closer. Realizing that she was their target, she shot a missile towards them. It missed as the person dipped into the valley. She looked down the slope. Her next opponent revealed themself to be Brayden. He fired a shot from his Rapid Blaster Pro, and the resulting blast managed to hurt her a little bit. Before she could slip out of the cannon to attack him, he threw a vial of Toxic Mist at the cannon, surrounding her with a golden cloud as she popped out of it. She crawled out of the mist, coughing, but she quickly returned her attention to splatting the tan-skinned octoling. She made the mistake of running straight towards him, however, as two blasts later, she splatted him.

When Via respawned, she noticed another cannon towards her team's side of the map. It was glowing pink, indicating someone was inside. Curious, she decided to swim towards it anyways. As she travelled there, the boy with light brown skin popped out of it and swam away. With the cannon free now, she positioned herself inside it again and started firing. The girl with bronze skin simply shot at the ground, aiming to ink some turf, until she noticed that the central cannon was colored gold again. It then occurred to her that she could possibly hit whoever was inside from where she was standing. She aimed at the center and waited until the bore pointed away from her. Then, she fired. She had to emerge from the shield because she ran out of ink, but she heard the sound of a direct hit all the same. Someone screamed in the distance, and she let out a cheer to show her victory.

Octavia ran back towards the hill, where she joined up with the girl with mocha-colored skin. They looked at each other and nodded to acknowledge each other's presence. Together, they started inking the hill. They reached the empty cannon and started debating who would go inside it. Before they could settle on a decision, someone from the other team popped into the cannon, but sprung from it moments later. Iris launched herself at the two inklings, roller in hand. The girl with the Splat Brella immediately opened her weapon's canopy and rammed it into the roller's wheel. The canopy broke, and both girls were sent flying back. Via's teammate fell down the hill, while Iris barely managed to stay on the top. While she regathered herself, the wavy-haired inkling saw this as a chance to strike. She flung herself at the girl with poufy hair, swinging her Octobrush Nouveau back-and-forth until she splatted.

"Phew," Octavia breathed, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "That was close."

"Easy for you to say!" the other girl exclaimed, emerging next to her. "I did most of the work."

"You saved me, though," she praised. "If you didn't block her with your brella, I would have been splatted for sure!"

"Look, my back hurts from falling down the hill. If that's a noble sacrifice, I don't see the appeal."

"We... have a better chance of winning?"

"We still have like, two minutes left. Things could change quickly."

"Well, we're winning right now, I think, and we're keeping it that way." After she finished speaking, Via pulled out some Tenta Missile launchers and looked around for targets. Locking them onto two people near the cannon on the opponents' side of the map, she pulled the trigger, firing several missiles towards them. Pink streams rained down on them, though she was certain no one was splatted. The girl with long hair followed up by pulling out an Ink Storm, throwing it towards where the missiles had landed. A pink cloud formed in the air, drifting towards the edge of the map.

Suddenly, a golden circle surrounded them, and the girls looked up to see Yvonne, preparing a Splashdown. Octavia started to flee, but her teammate simply aimed her brella up at her and fired a few shots, splatting her before she could complete the special attack.

"Wow," was the only thing the wavy-haired girl could say.

"You make this difficult," she remarked. "C'mon, let's splat another squid."

"That is not needed," added a new voice. Giovanni walked up beside them, his hair glowing pink. "I will splat for you." He swam down the hill, and halfway down it, he emerged from it with an Inkjet. He flew towards their opponents' cannon, firing projectiles down at the ground. Someone threw a splat bomb up at him, but he simply deflected it using the Inkjet's gun. As he battled, Via noticed someone swimming up to the landing marker. From the ink emerged Brayden, who had a vial of Toxic Mist in his hand. As soon as she saw him, she immediately started running towards him with her brush. As soon as the octoling noticed her, his blue eyes became filled with alarm and threw the vial towards her instead.

Octavia took a sharp turn to avoid the cloud that formed, but she swooped back down after it had landed. Brayden tried throwing out another vial to no avail. He was forced to resort to just his blaster, backing up as he attempted to get out of the Octobrush's reach. It was then Gio had returned, throwing a splat bomb at his feet as soon as he landed. Together, the two charged towards Brayden and splatted him, creating a puddle of pink ink where he had exploded.

"Booyah!" Via cheered.

"...Booyah," the octoling with the mohawk grumbled.

"I thought you said you love battling," she remarked, turning to face him.

"I do," he confirmed, "but it is different when I battle friends."

"How so?"

"Normally, I am on the same team as friends," he explained. "I battle against them... I know the tricks of them." Gio opened his mouth to say more, but before he could finish, a splat bomb was launched towards them, forcing them to scatter. Charging towards them was Oscar. He stopped where his bomb had landed to ink the area around his feet with his Inkbrush. Giovanni swam around him and ambushed him, easily splatting the boy with the afro. "Do you see?" he queried at last, green eyes focusing on Via's orange ones.

"No...?"

"I am not surprised." He huffed and turned around to start pushing into enemy territory.

Via sighed. "I swear I'll never understand that squid," she muttered under her breath.

The wavy-haired inkling continued inking turf without interruption. No one even attempted to splat her! Eventually, her hair began to glow again, signifying that she could use her special once more. She super-jumped back to the spawn to survey the stage. Shock crossed her features as she learned that most of the area was covered in pink ink. _Did one of them leave?_ She activated her Tenta Missiles to see how many targets there were. Still four. _Odd..._ She fired her Tenta Missiles on the target closest to her and began swimming towards the target to check it out.

Climbing the incline was Iris. She pushed her Krak-On Roller along, stopping to place a squid beakon from time-to-time. Via hid in the ink, waiting to see what would happen. Oscar super-jumped to one of the beakons and began swinging his Inkbrush furiously. Together, the two octolings managed to create a line of golden ink, separating her team's base from the rest of the stage. The line grew bigger and bigger, and soon, Via realized their attention—they wished to claim some turf while the other team was distracted.

With this realization, the wavy-haired girl emerged from the ink and called, "This way!" She placed a squid beakon where she stood and started running down towards Iris and Oscar. The former quickly spotted her and ceased her actions to attack her. Just as Octavia emerged from the ink, Iris slammed down her roller, splatting her instantly.

When she respawned, so did the boy with light brown skin. "Please help me!" she begged before he could step off the platform.

He stopped and turned around, blue eyes facing hers. "With what?"

"We need to get the other team out of here," she explained, "so we can win!"

"Aren't we already winning?" he questioned.

"Just help me!"

He sighed. "Alright..."

The two traveled down the incline, towards Iris and Oscar. Well, she could only see Iris. The cannon on her side was glowing gold, and Octavia could assume Oscar was occupying it. A missile fired towards them. The boy with the Splat Brella opened its canopy to block it. He was successful, but his shield broke. Growing impatient, Via grabbed the boy's hand and dragged him down towards the poufy-haired octoling.

Her indigo eyes drifted down towards the brella, then at the two inklings. "You no have a shield," she remarked before laughing. "Will the brella to protect now, Octavia?"

"We'll beat you," the bronze-skinned girl declared. "I know it."

"Try." Iris widened her stance, gripping her Krak-On Roller tightly.

"Umm..." The boy tried opening the canopy, but only the frame opened up. While it was open, however, the shield regenerated, and it ended up launching off of the brella, towards the fair-skinned girl. Iris jumped out of the way, causing the canopy to crash into a wall. She jumped up into the air and prepared a vertical swing, of which both inklings rolled out of the way. Some gold-colored ink brushed Octavia's shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain. After the vertical swing, the boy threw a sprinkler at the octoling. It bounced off her shirt and landed in front of her. She was not safe from harm, however—blotches of pink were found on her body from the initial impact, and now the device was spraying more harmful ink onto her. Using this distraction, Via launched herself at Iris and splatted her in one swipe.

"Booyah!" both of them cheered. In the distance, Octavia heard someone else cry out. She looked over at the source to find the mocha-skinned girl spinning her brella in front of the base cannon.

"Aria!" the boy exclaimed, running towards her. He drew the girl into a tight hug. "You did it!" At his sentence, the whistle blew, and fire ceased. The couple began making out by the cannon, causing Via to look away.

After a few minutes of waiting, Giovanni super-jumped to her, much to her surprise. "Gio!" the wavy-haired girl gasped. "You scared me!"

"Sorry," he apologized. "I had needed a good way to come back here."

She tilted her head in confusion. "...Why?"

"Perhaps I should apologize," the octoling started. "I said battling against friends was not fun." With a rare smile, he finished, "I was the wrong. I found the battle fun."

Via smiled back. "Hey, you love battling after all."

Giovanni sighed, exasperated. "That is your only comment?"

"No no! I'm glad you had fun!"

"Good."

It was then Judd and Li'l Judd landed right on the central cannon. They took a few seconds to position themselves on it, and then they began their signature dance. Judd struck out a pink flag, while the smaller cat fell off the cannon with a yowl. Li'l Judd immediately climbed back up it and gave a thumbs-up to show that he was OK.

The octoling with a mohawk looked over at Octavia. "Do you want to do battle again?"

"Since you're asking..." She smiled. "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE RAINBOW SQUIDS! Well, on Fanfiction.net, anyways. Regardless, thank you, everyone, for reading this story, and be ready for more to come. Honestly, I'm surprised myself I could keep up weekly chapters for this long. Well, there was the hiatus, but... that doesn't count ;). As we head into the second half of Season 2, things will only get bigger from here! If my calculations are correct, we should be at the end of Season 3 by the time the second anniversary rolls around. Assuming my plans stay the same, it's crazy how much more you'll know, how many more secrets will be revealed... Well, I can't just tell you what secrets just yet, because, well, it's a secret! And telling the secrets would be spoilers. Anyways, once again, thank you all for reading The Rainbow Squids, and here's to another year of their adventures!


	46. Chill Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri has to babysit his siblings.

_Yuri's PoV_

Yuri sat in front of the TV, controller in hand, playing a fighting video game. His younger brother had come over to watch, now clinging to his leg.

"Augh!" he cried out. "I lost!"

"Why didn't he explode?" his brother, York, asked.

"I knew letting him watch was a bad idea..." the spiky-haired boy muttered in his breath. In a more confident voice, he explained, "York, we explode when we splat because we're made out of ink. Fish aren't made out of ink, so they don't explode."

"OK." The young inkling simply nodded. "Can I play Keeplier now?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Yay!" York swiped the controller out of the dark-skinned teen's hands and proceeded to start playing the popular turf war video game. Yuri rose from the couch and walked to the kitchen. He approached the refrigerator to grab an apple out of it, when his yellow eyes drifted to the note his mother had left for him and his siblings.

'I'll be back on Thursday,' read the note. 'Do your homework, and York—I am not buying you clam bucks. Stop asking.'

He simply smiled and grabbed an apple like he intended to do. He took a bite out of the juicy snack, eating slowly to savor it. He pulled up a stool to the counter and pulled out his phone to look through while he ate.

Just as he finished his apple, the cellphone vibrated as a new text message came through. The text, which was from Perry, asked if Yuri could listen to the purple-haired boy's latest song. Yuri couldn't come help his friend because he had to babysit his siblings, but he still asked to listen to it after it was finished. The spiky-haired inkling put in his earbuds and began listening to the rap song.

The lyrics were relatively simple—just another generic love song. Though Pearl was not mentioned, he just knew his friend would make the idol listen to it in a heartbeat. The beat wasn't anything special, but it was an improvement from Perry's previous songs. _Maybe he's trying something new?_ After the song concluded, he sent the purple-haired boy a text that it was a good song and put his phone away.

Yuri climbed up the steps, towards his room. He opened the door to it, and the first thing he noticed was a ruined box of chocolates on his dresser. He frowned. Jade gave him those chocolates on Valentine's Day—he wasn't sure why, but he took them anyways. Regardless, he was going to eat them at some point. The yellow-haired boy grabbed the heart-shaped box and examined it. A few yellow spots of ink were slowly receding.

 _It can't be York, and Yasmin's at her friend's house, so..._ He walked over to the room where the twins slept and began pounding on the door. "Yana!" he demanded. "I know you're in there!"

"Uh..." said his younger sister. "Yana isn't here right now!"

"I have chocolate."

The yellow inkling immediately opened the door and asked, "Where?!" She looked up at Yuri and grimaced. "You tricked me!" she whined.

"Speaking of chocolate, though..." he started, "you ate mine, didn't you?"

"No...?"

"Yeah, you did."

"No, I didn't!"

"Hmm..." A smile came across his face. "I might have to give away the Princess Seapony concert tickets."

"Fine, fine! I ate your chocolates! I'm sorry!" Yana began to pout. "Don't give the tickets away..."

"I wasn't, don't worry." He patted his sister on the head. "Just don't eat my chocolates next time." _At least White Day's not until next month,_ he commented silently.

"I won't! I promise!"

Yuri turned into a squid and sat up, holding out his tentacle. "Tentacle promise?"

Yana picked him up and grabbed it with a stubby hand. "Tentacle promise."

The dark-skinned inkling slipped out of his sister's arms and reformed into a kid. "Good." He walked back to his room, where he cleaned up the box of chocolates, threw it away, and, finally, retired to his bed. He plopped down on it and got out his phone, proceeding to look through Squidsagram. When he found nothing interested, he groaned and put it on his nightstand.

His yellow eyes drifted over to his record player. He rose to his feet and started looking through his vinyl collection. He found the newest one he had—a Squid Sisters record from the days when they still hosted Inkopolis News—and put it into the player. The cheerful jingle of City of Color began playing, and Yuri started to hum along to it.

As the song progressed, he remembered how Callie was still missing. _She has to be_ somewhere _, right?_ He refused to believe the possibility that the idol was dead, even if it had been about six months since her initial disappearance. That being said, it had been about six months since the Great Zapfish disappeared, too. Yet, Inkopolis showed no signs of losing power. _Hmm..._

Yuri walked over to his desk and opened his laptop. He sat down in his chair and began searching up conspiracy theories out of curiosity. He found a forum discussing and began reading through them. The most popular conspiracy theory? Callie was kidnapped by the Octarians. The notion that the Great Zapfish was captured by the Octarians was a popular theory as well, as well as one detailing how the Squid Sisters are actually secret agents.

The yellow-haired boy laughed at their absurdity. _They're just conspiracy theories,_ he thought. _None of these are true... right?_ Regardless, he still liked looking them up. He always thought of them to be pretty funny.

More time passed, and Yuri found himself yawning. He came to the conclusion that he needed to take a nap and closed his laptop, plopped onto his bed, and threw a blanket over himself, wishing to fall asleep. When he woke up again, he felt a chill and rubbed his arms. He looked down at himself to find that someone had taken off his blanket... and his shorts.

"Oh..." He got up and started walking downstairs, where he found the twins running around, playing with paper Inkbrushes. At the kitchen counter sat Yasmin, who was watching them in amusement.

"Yuri!" York ran up to him, wearing pants that were clearly too big for him, and tapped his nose with the paper brush. "Wanna play?"

"I'm the hero, and York's the villain!" Yana added. She was using Yuri's blanket as a cape.

"Yasmin's the princess," his brother whispered, pointing to the young inkling. She looked up at the dark-skinned inkling and waved.

"Can I... have my pants back?" he asked.

"No!" the youngest sister replied. "You're gonna be the Underwear Dragon!" She picked up a Princess Seapony mask and threw it at him.

Yuri looked at the mask for a few moments before putting it over his face and striking an intimidating pose. "Roar! You thought York the Terrible was the final boss? No, it is I, the Underwear Dragon!"

"Umm, I'm York the Strong," the boy corrected.

"I, Yana the Good, will defeat you!" the girl boasted. She poked the paper brush at her elder brother's chest, causing him to fall down dramatically.

"Oh no! I have been defeated!" Yuri exclaimed. "I guess you can save Princess Yasmin now."

"Yay!" Yana ran up to Yasmin and hugged her.

"I'm saved," Yasmin cheered unenthusiastically, pumping a fist.

"Let's do it again!" Yana pleaded.

"Alright, but _I'm_ the hero this time," York announced.

"Will you be the Underwear Dragon again, Yuri?" his youngest sister asked him.

With a smile, Yuri replied, "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a cute, fluffy chapter for today. I feel like out of all the Rainbow Squids, Yuri appears the least, so I wanted a chapter just to focus on him at home, with his siblings. Now, next chapter... next chapter is the final Hero Mode chapter! Isn't that sad? Regardless, I'll make sure to make it big and grand for you all. Stay tuned for next week!


	47. Let's Finish This!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's final showdown between Agent 4 and DJ Octavio! Who will win?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Hero Mode.  
> Some of Marie's, Sheldon's, Callie's, and DJ Octavio's dialogue are taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

It was time.

Time to save the Great Zapfish. Time to save Callie. After six months of nothing, Inkopolis would finally have both their greatest power source and their beloved pop star back. Or, at least, Alexis hoped so.

"You sure you're ready?" Marie asked back at Tentakeel Outpost.

"I am," the younger inkling confirmed. "Are you?"

The idol nodded. "Yeah. Sheldon's setting up the truck. But Four, remember." Her golden eyes looked down at the bronze-skinned girl. "You're the only one that can defeat DJ Octavio and save the Great Zapfish." She smiled. "And Callie."

"I know." Alexis gave a nod. "That's why I have to try my best. So I can save everyone."

Marie gave the agent a quick hug before placing her hands on her shoulders. "Go, now. I'll be there as fast as I can. See you soon."

"Mhm." The orange-haired inkling prepared to super-jump, and moments later, she flew through the air, towards the cavern hosting Cephalon HQ. She landed on the boss kettle, which was stationed on a metallic platform decorated with various stickers. Several glowing, purple dots surrounded the pillow the kettle rested on. From within, she could hear the roars of a crowd, though she did not know who they were cheering for. She peered through the grate and took a deep breath. _Here I go._ She turned into a squid and slipped into the boss kettle.

As Alexis travelled deeper within, she felt the area shift around a little bit before hearing something lock above her, which only heightened her fear. Soon, however, she spawned in the kettle, shaking some green ink off of her. In the background, she could see various lights in the audience, and right in the middle of the stage stood a figure. In her hands, she held the Hero Shot—Sheldon asked her to use it beforehand. The short-haired inkling stepped onto the launchpad, which brought her right to the arena.

"Let's go, Agent 4!" Marie cheered over the headset. Agent 4 landed onto the pavement and took a few steps towards the figure. She stopped when she realized that this was another inkling. A familiar inkling—she couldn't remember who—with long black hair tipped with the hot pink color of her ink. The stage she stood on caved a little bit, and speakers lining the frame were silent. A few seconds passed as Alexis absorbed this information, and then Marie let out a saddened gasp. "Wait... Is that...?" Realization struck the agent—the grey-haired inkling's earlier prediction was correct. " _CALLIE?!_ " the idol cried out in anguish.

At the mention of her name, Callie looked over her shoulder, donning a poker face and some shades not unlike the ones enemy octolings wore. She pivoted around to face Alexis, crossing her arms.

"I told you to leave..." the black-haired inkling said, her shades flashing a colorful diamond pattern.

"Callie... Why?" Marie murmured, her voice cracking.

Striking a pose, Callie announced, "Now you leave me no choice..." She slashed her arm through the air and shouted, "Prepared to be rocked!" She pointed her fingers towards the air. "Hey, DJ!"

The stage began to shake, and the background lit up behind the pop star as she rose into the air. Occupying the level below her was a red-violet octopus wearing a black-and-gold helmet and golden shutter shades. A green scar glowed on one of his muscular tentacles, not unlike the tentacles controlling Octobosses. Wasabi stalks occupied his turntables, and attached to the front of the mechanism were two golden fists, letters in the Octarian language engraved on their knuckles.

There was something else that caught Alexis's attention, though. Hanging off the bottom of the machine was none other than the Great Zapfish. The machine rattled as the creature was sucked into it, energizing the machine. It crackled with electricity, prompting a horn to sound and the crowd to cheer. A jumbotron in the background displayed some subtitles in both Octarian and Inkling, which read, 'DJ Octavio feat. Callie: Octobot King II.'

"I'll save you," Alexis muttered her breath. "I promise."

"Octavio in da houuuuuuuuse!" the octopus immediately introduced himself. He seemed to be fluent in the Inkling language, but like the octolings of Octa Prisma, he spoke with an accent.

The girl's immediate response was to laugh. "Hold up, _you're_ DJ Octavio?" the short-haired inkling perplexed. _I thought he'd be more menacing. This guy is laughable at best!_

"Gyah ha ha!" DJ Octavio laughed. "You think I'm a pushover? No wonder my troops call you the Dauntless. Well, no matter: Take this—I remixed Callie's brain!"

"Huh?!" Agent 4 gasped for more reasons than one.

Callie snickered. "Time for our first song of the night: Bomb Rush Blush!"

"Time to drop the beatdown!" the disc jockey followed.

A tune so upbeat, yet ominous, began to play as the black-haired idol told him, "Spin it, DJ!" As the machine floated in the air, one of its golden fists began to glow magenta as a hissing escaped from it. It propelled itself towards her, causing Alexis to jump out of the way to dodge it. The fist dug itself into the pavement before retracting back into the machine.

"What?!" she gasped. With a running start, she tried going towards DJ Octavio, only to be blocked by some sort of barrier once she was close enough. "Ow..." she muttered, rubbing her head as she fell to the ground. Magenta ink dripped off of her hoodie. The machine backed up and began to shoot another fist at Alexis.

"Shoot it!" Marie commanded.

 _Shoot it?_ The bronze-skinned girl inked a spot of green around her feet before firing her Hero Shot at the incoming fist. She backed up, now trudging in Octarian ink as it got closer and closer. Just before it could hit her, the fist glowed green and started twirling right back at the disc jockey, causing a bunch of dough balls to fall out of it. Callie almost lost her balance, but she continued singing anyways.

" _Graaahk!_ " DJ Octavio cried.

"That's it, Agent 4! Show no mercy!" the grey-haired inkling cheered.

Alexis threw a curling bomb towards the opposite side of the arena, in hopes of creating a gap between her and the Octobot King II. She started inking the ground around her, when another fist was shot at her. She started shooting at it only to find she was out of ink. She hid in the ink to refill her ink tank, and the golden fist landed next to her. She emerged early to start inking it, only for it to retract back into the machine. DJ Octavio launched the other fist next, but this time, Alexis was prepared. She shot at the other fist until it glowed green and rammed into the machine.

Now, both fists were glowing a magenta color, and moments later, they were shooting towards her. Agent 4 stepped to the side and finished off the fist she had previously inked before focusing on the second one. It dug into the ground again, though spots of ink still dripped off of it. The machine heaved as it tried to pull the golden fist out, allowing her to cover it up and send it straight back to the octopus.

"Blushing faces covered in pink! / Rushing bombs, exploding ink!" Callie sang as giant splat bombs rimmed with gold spat out of the machine. Alexis threw out a curling bomb again and swam to the side in an attempt to dodge them. Unfortunately, one of them landed right on top of her and exploded, breaking her hero suit. A puddle of green ink surrounded where she would have splatted. Her swimming slowed to a crawl as the Octobot King II's fists began to glow again.

"Watch out for his spinning punches," Sheldon advised. "They can't be bounced back!"

"Huh?!" The fists spun faster and faster until they launched, heading straight towards Alexis. "Ah!" She swam as fast as she could, narrowly avoiding the impact of the fists. After they landed, her hero suit regenerated, and she emerged from the green ink. The fists withdrew back into the machine and immediately did DJ Octavio send out another one. This time, Alexis was ready as she charged towards it, pressing a finger against the trigger. As the fist become greener and greener with ink, she tried to be dramatic and send it off with a kick, but she failed. Her foot recoiled when it hit the incoming object. She stumbled backwards, and while she heard the octopus cry out in the background, all she could focus on was the sharp pain in her leg.

"Four!" Marie gasped.

"It's nothing I can't handle, Marie," she told her. "Just stick to the plan!" Another fist planned to smash her into the ground, but she pointed her Hero Shot at it and fired it until it barreled back towards Octavio.

" _Hnnng!_ Come on, Octavio!" Callie egged.

" _Snap out of it, Callie!_ " the grey-haired inkling begged. As she finished her words, another wave of splat bombs came flying out of the machine. As they neared, Agent 4 now noticed that they had a squid design on them. Callie's name was written in bold underneath the graphic.

 _Oh no..._ The short-haired girl gulped. _Can we still save her?_ She shook her head and turned into a squid to evade the bombs. _I can't start doubting myself now. Everyone's counting on me. Callie... The Great Zapfish... Inkopolis... I have to save them. I can't let anyone down._

In the ink, her leg pain had dulled, but when she emerged, in flared right back up again. The two golden fists started spinning around again, and they launched towards her. Alexis was once again forced to throw out a curling bomb and dodge to the side. DJ Octavio immediately followed up by launching two normal punches at the same time. She quickly sent one of them flying back towards her while the other dug into the ground. She scrambled back towards it, but it managed to pull itself out in time and retreat back to the Octobot King II. A few seconds passed, and the first fist was once again flying towards her. Determined, she shot the fist down, and with this punch, Octavio flew out of his machine, tumbling towards the ground.

"Octavio is exposed!" Marie exclaimed. "This is your chance, Agent 4!"

Agent 4 threw out another curling bomb, which bumped off of the octopus. She emerged right in front of his eyes and started inking him up the same green color the mechanical fists were covered with. Soon, DJ Octavio was the one barreling into his machine, dough balls flying out on impact.

Callie regained her balance and adjusted her shades, shaking her head. " _Hmph,_ " she scoffed.

"Callie!" the idol called out. "It's me," she said. She took a deep breath and continued, "Your cousin, Marie. Try to remember!"

The black-haired inkling simply shrugged off her cousin's attempt to reach out to her and shouted, "DJ!" She slashed her hand through the air again and demanded, " _Drop that spicy wasabi beat!_ " With her final words, the ink dissipated from the concrete, making for a confetti effect.

DJ Octavio repositioned himself in the operator's seat, steadying his wasabi stalks on the turntables. " _Gyah ha ha!_ " he laughed. "Comin' with that hotness!"

"Don't hold back, Agent 4!" commanded Marie. The Octobot King II started to rise, which prompted the idol to gasp and exclaim, "He's rising up!"

"Is that a bad thing?!" Alexis asked, frantic as the machine prepared to send out another punch.

"Depends on your definition of 'bad.'" The fist started to come crashing down on the short-haired girl, but before it could connect with her, she started firing at it. Like most other times, it soon turned green and spun back towards DJ Octavio. Trying not to fall off, the octopus held onto his seat and spun a disc with a stalk of wasabi, prompting the next fist to come out of the machine, towards Alexis. It came so quickly that Alexis barely had time to react. She jumped to the side as it dug into the ground. After it landed, she tried inking it, but it retracted back before she could completely cover it.

"Yeah, it's a bad thing," she concluded.

Instead of sending out another punch, however, the Octobot King II hovered back towards the ground, and a tray rose from above the bottom speakers. Alexis recognized its contents as the dough balls that sometimes fell out of the machine whenever Octavio was hit. A moment or two later, they popped out of the tray, towards the bronze-skinned girl.

"Something's coming!" Marie noted. "Can you shoot it down?"

"I don't know, but I'll try." She tried shooting one of them, and it didn't take long for it to explode into pieces. "Huh, you're right." Before she could shoot down another one, one of the dough balls landed in her arms. A pink octopus tentacle was stuck through it, hanging limply. Combined with the dark sauce lathered over the top, it actually looked... quite tasty. Letting her hunger consume her, she opened her mouth to take a bite out of it when it suddenly exploded into a whirlwind of magenta ink, breaking her hero suit. She was pushed back a few inches, and looking around, she found herself surrounded by the same twisters. Through them, she spotted one of the fists spinning, slinging droplets of green ink everywhere. She barely managed to jump out of the way of the spinning punch, though to her dismay, her hero suit had yet to recover.

 _I can't give up,_ she told herself. _I have to keep going._ She rose to her feet, wiping some magenta ink off her shoulder. Her suit regenerated, and she clenched the Hero Shot tighter. DJ Octavio decided to raise up into the air again and send out two punches at the same time. Alexis targeted the fist that had previously spun at her before, making up for her failure to cover it up last time a normal punch was sent out. It knocked into Octavio, allowing her to attack the other fist. She finished inking it up while it was stuck in the ground, sending it back. While the octopus recovered, she took it upon herself to start painting the land around her.

Still remaining in the air, the machine starting spinning one of its fists again, and it flew towards Agent 4 again, followed by a normal fist. She successfully dodged the first punch and immediately started to focus on the other one. Just before it could retract, it glowed green and rammed into the Octobot King II once more. Following this, it returned to the ground and started sending out giant suction bombs.

"Another Bomb Rush!" the grey-haired inkling exclaimed. The suction bombs this time were rimmed with gold, much like the splat bombs. Again, Callie's name was written on the front of them, but they also had a design with angry squid eyes and sharp eyelashes above the writing. She had no doubts that those eyes were supposed to represent the black-haired idol's eyes. Throwing out a curling bomb, Alexis was forced to flee them as she watched them cover the arena back up in magenta ink.

Following the Bomb Rush, the machine rose into the air again, and one of the fists began to glow magenta. Once again, the short-haired inkling took it down quickly.

" _Graaahk!_ " DJ Octavio screamed upon impact.

"Agent 4!" Marie called to get the agent's attention. "I'll be there soon. Hold out just a little longer!"

"Got it." Octavio next prepared two spinning punches for Alexis, which she dodged with the help of a curling bomb. After they returned to the machine, it hissed as magenta ink spat out of it. It was pushed backwards as a waterfall of ink started ejecting from its front speakers, fire spitting out of its exhaust pipes. _This_ can't _be good._

"He's gonna hit you with his shower attack!" the idol warned. "Dodge to the side!" Her advice came a little too late, however, as the shower promptly ran over Agent 4 and broke her hero suit again. Over her headphones, she heard Marie groan in frustration.

As one would predict, the Octobot King II rose into the air again and sent out more punches, one normal and one spinning. She had to dodge both of them in order not to get splatted. After they withdrew back, her hero suit recovered, and she could once again go on the offensive. DJ Octavio sent out a normal punch again, which Alexis quickly deflected. He returned to the ground again and sent out another wave of dough balls. Smarter, now, she began shooting down as many as she could, which was not much. After they exploded into ink twisters, he sent out two more punches. She deflected one, but was unable to deflect the other. Afterwards, the octopus once again tried his shower attack, which she successfully dodged. All while Callie continued her song, seemingly unfazed by the constant attacks on the machine.

Following one final punch, DJ Octavio was sent flying out of the machine again. "Octavio's down!" Marie informed. "It's all you, Agent 4!" Though her leg pain was fading, she still decided to swim up to him and cover him up in green ink, eventually sending him back to the machine and slamming into it, causing a small explosion in her color.

Up above her, Alexis heard the whirring of some engine. She looked up, and flying around the Octobot King II was a Squid Sisters truck, complete with thrusters emitting green fire and a stage on its roof. She spotted Sheldon in the driver's seat, and Marie on the stage with a fancy charger, presumably a Hero Charger, in her hands.

"I'm here!" the grey-haired inkling announced. "Hold on!"

She aimed her charger at Callie, and a few seconds later, a stream of lime green ink came flying out of it. It hit the black-haired inkling's head, knocking her shades and some of her hat off.

" _NOOOOO!_ " DJ Octavio cried. "The hypnoshades!" Looking up at the other idol, Alexis saw specks of lime green ink flying around her head as she gripped it.

" _YES!_ " Marie cheered. "That was a direct hit with my special low-tide ink!"

"Unnhhh..." Callie groaned.

"Now, Agent 4! While Callie is stunned!" the grey-haired idol demanded. "Make DJ Octavio pay!" As the ink cleared from the battlefield, she started to sing a more desperate rendition of Tide Goes Out.

"Time to turn the tables!" the octopus announced. "Spicy speed mode!"

Marie interrupted her song to say, "He's fast! Watch out for his dash punch!"

Like Marie had said, the machine dashed to the side, preparing to send another fist at Alexis. She strafed to the side, preparing to ink up the fist and send it back to DJ Octavio. And she did just that. As dough balls fell out of the machine, it flew itself back towards the center of the arena. During the downtime, she started inking up the arena some more. The Octobot King II's next attack was another Suction Bomb Rush, proceeding to send out even more bombs than before. The girl just barely managed to escape the explosions without her hero suit breaking, though magenta ink now dripped off her back.

"Agent 4, keep it up!" the grey-haired inkling encouraged. "I'm gonna sing from here!"

Immediately after the suction bombs finished exploding, the machine rose back into the air and prepared another spinning punch to send at Agent 4. She swam past it to focus on inking up the punch that followed. The punch collided with the machine once more, and as it flew down to send out another dash punch, Callie suddenly interjected Tide Goes Out with her own singing, drowning out Marie's voice. Feeling quite startled about this, she neglected the need to dodge the punch, causing her to fly back and her hero suit to break. On the jumbotron, Marie, who was the current focus, showed shock and worry in her features, causing her own singing to falter a little bit. Yet, she kept on going.

Alexis pushed herself off the ground with a growl, her orange eyes narrowing as she shot a glare towards DJ Octavio. He took this chance to start sending out another round of dough balls. One was flying straight towards her, but she kicked it away with her good leg. Before the balls could even explode into twisters, the machine rose back into the air, preparing two fists to hit the inkling with. Without a second thought, she threw a curling bomb in front of her and swam past the fists. The bomb bounced off the barrier and met its end when it collided with one of the twisters. Alexis, on the hand, emerged from the ink trail after the golden fists had landed. They returned to the Octobot King II, and afterwards, the agent's hero suit repaired. It flew back a little, where the eyes of Alexis and Octavio met.

"You're scum, you know that?" she snapped at him. "Stealing the Great Zapfish _and_ kidnapping Callie? And on top of that, you're trying to kill _me_ now."

Octavio laughed. "You tore through my defenses, and now you resist my sick beats, just to save one fish and one squid?" he sneered and pounded a wasabi stalk on the turntable. "You slimy little hipster!" Another fist shot towards Alexis, which she started inking. "So naïve, thinking you could lay the beatdown on _me_? Well, no matter." The fist he sent out soon punched his machine, causing him to cry out in pain. Once he repositioned himself, he rose into the air and declared, "I'll spin you into your grave!"

"We'll see about that, Octavio," Alexis made her own declaration. "You _will_ fall today!" She walked backwards, inking the area around her, as he sent out two spinning punches, landing just in front of her feet and splattering ink on her clothes. The fists returned to him once more, and once again, he returned to the ground and dashed to the side to prepare another punch. She shot it down as quickly as he sent it.

During the instrumental break, Marie cried with a voice choked with emotion, " _WAKE UP CALLIE!_ " Looking at the jumbotron would allow one to see that tears had formed in the corner of her starry golden eyes. The black-haired idol's only response was to let out a groan of pain. Meanwhile, DJ Octavio performed another dash punch, one Alexis took down as well. After it collided with the machine, he sent another spinning punch, which the short-haired inkling narrowly avoided. Soon, the Octobot King II rose into the air again, magenta ink pouring out of its speakers.

 _Another shower attack,_ she quickly realized. While she swam away, the octopus laughed as he sped across the arena, deadly ink trailing behind him. Following the attack, he sent out more giant suction bombs, followed by another dash punch. Overwhelmed, Agent 4 swam towards the edge of the arena, making her unable to react to his attack. After the bombs were gone, DJ Octavio dashed to the side again, this fist spinning around rapidly. _Would this be a... spinning dash punch?_ she wondered. _Guess it is._

Octavio followed up his spinning punch with a normal punch. It crashed into the ground, giving Alexis just enough time to ink it up. It glowed green and punched into the machine, just like before. He immediately followed up with another dash punch, one she took down as well. Afterwards, he sent out the dough balls again, and she shot some of them down again. After the ink towers formed, DJ Octavio sent out one final dash punch, one that caused him to fall out of the Octobot King II.

"Octavio's down!" Marie exclaimed. "Get him, Agent 4!"

"My pleasure!" Running towards him was a mistake, as her leg pain flared up again by the time she reached him. Regardless, Alexis inked him up with her Hero Shot, causing him to fly back into the machine once more. While DJ Octavio recovered from the devastating blow Alexis dealt, Sheldon drove the truck in front of the Octobot King II, where Marie could face Callie head-on.

"My... My head..." the black-haired idol moaned, squinting to reveal the same starry eyes her cousin had.

"The low-tide ink is working!" the grey-haired idol exclaimed, hope flashing in her starry eyes. It was then she pulled out a radio with a squid design embedded in the middle. Throwing her hand out, she pled, "Callie! Remember!" A poppy beat started up as she set it down. "That heavenly melody!"

"The one and only..." Callie started. Trembling, she reached her hand out towards her cousin. She opened her eyes, now filled with realization. "I... I remember..." she muttered. Now, with a running start, she leaped off the stage, towards the flying truck.

"YEAH!"

A pink glow surrounded her, and hot pink ink trailed off her as she somehow changed into the stage outfit everyone knows and loves. Landing onto the stage set up on the truck, Marie helped Callie to her feet, and the Squid Sisters began to sing a familiar tune as the beat dropped.

" _Ya, weni, marei, mirekyarahire._ "

 _Wait, I know this song!_ Alexis realized.

" _Juri, yu mirekerason._ "

" _The Squid Sisters are back!_ " Sheldon cheered.

" _Kire, hyari, yoriherahe nyurahera / Nunnyara unera yurawera nyimerani._ "

Agent 4 dropped her Hero Shot as one of Sheldon's drones flew overhead, carrying a case. It stopped in front of her and dropped it, allowing her to open it up. Inside was a peculiar weapon.

"A... Rainmaker?" she perplexed.

"Yes!" Sheldon confirmed. "I brought you a modded version of the Rainmaker! You know how to use it, right? Hold down the trigger to build pressure, then release it to shoot an ink missile."

"A modded version, huh?" She smiled. "I can work with this."

"All right, Agent 4," the horseshoe crab started. "Show me what you can do with that modified Rainmaker!"

DJ Octavio's eyes focused on the inkling, and his eyes widened on the sight of the golden weapon. "Rainmaker!" he gasped. He flew up into the air, making him impossible to hit him from the ground.

Before Alexis could ask anything, a green launchpad appeared in the center of the stage. "Follow him, Agent 4!" Marie commanded. Now that she was reunited with Callie, she sounded... happier. "End this!"

She turned into a squid on the launchpad, sending her up towards some ride rails. In an effort to relieve her leg pain, she remained in her squid form in the rail.

"Charge up the Rainmaker, and rain on Octavio's parade!" Sheldon exclaimed.

"Hmm..." _How will I hit him?_ She emerged and held down the trigger. The Rainmaker charged up in a much shorter period of time than the original, allowing her to safely deflect the incoming punch from the Octobot King II. A stream of green landed on the fist, and moments later, it exploded, making the fist turn around and hit the machine. After it collided, she turned back into a squid and jumped to the outer ride rail.

DJ Octavio flew more towards the center, where one of the machine's fists began to spin faster and faster, accompanied by a pink glow. "Agent 4! Jump to dodge the spinning punches!" Marie advised.

The spinning punch launched towards the short-haired girl, and she reformed into a kid to leap up into the air and dodge it. As a consequence, her pain returned once again when she landed, causing her to hide back in the ink. Much to her dismay, she found herself jumping again due to Octavio sending out yet another spinning punch. He followed up the attack by dashing to the side, sending out a normal punch. She charged up the Rainmaker and sent it back, hitting the machine once again.

This pattern of attacking and dodging continued for a while, considering that DJ Octavio did not have much to spice up his attacks. On the other hand, now that she did not have to focus on moving around and inking the stage that much, she noticed some additional details about the area. While the jumbotron had previously displayed images of DJ Octavio and Callie, they now focused on the Squid Sisters on their truck. Their logo even showed up every now-and-then. Even the octopus seemed to be enjoying it, as he danced around while operating the Octobot King II.

Contrary to his actions, DJ Octavio growled, " _I can't...resist the groove... any longer!"_ He slammed one of his wasabi sticks into the wall of the machine's interior. "Splat you, Squid Sisterrrrrrrs!"

In response to his words, Alexis jumped to the inner ring and quipped, "Not so spicy now, are you, Octavio?"

" _You dare challenge me?!_ " he roared at her. He sent out another spinning punch, which Agent 4 simply jumped over. "I'll fry you into calamari!" The machine dashed to the side and sent a normal punch towards her. One fully-charged shot of the Rainmaker later, it rammed into it.

"Face it, you've lost," she sneered. "Who's naïve now?" He sent out one final punch at her, which she deflected with one final shot. Upon impact, sparks flew across the Octobot King II as it short-circuited and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what just happened. "Yes!" she cheered.

"Agent 4!" Marie called to get her attention. "Head for Octavio from the inner ride rail!"

"Will do!" Turning into a squid, she awaited her arrival at the new ride rail, which she jumped into when she reached it. From inside, she looked down at Octavio, who was flailing his limbs around, trying to get himself off the machine.

"Now! Jump and hit him with the Rainmaker!" On Marie's words, Alexis emerged from the ride rail in her kid form, the golden weapon in her hands. She slammed the Rainmaker on the octopus, causing a green glow. The Spicy Calamari Inkantation stopped, and the truck the Squid Sisters rode flew down to the ground. Agent 4 hopped off of the broken machine and took a few steps towards the truck.

"Guh..." DJ Octavio moaned as the backdrop behind him glowed several different colors. "Not again... Cross-face to blaaaaaaack..."

The Octobot King II groaned as it trembled, a green light glowing from within. It swelled before exploding into a huge mess of green ink, practically covering everyone in the arena, including the audience. Thankfully, no one seemed to have splatted, including the disc jockey, who now laid unconscious in front of the machine's remains.

Alexis heard a moan from behind her, and she turned around to watch Callie struggle to stay on her feet. She threw an arm around Marie's shoulder, while Marie caught her before she could fall.

"You OK?" the grey-haired inkling asked her cousin.

The black-haired inkling nodded. "Yeah..." She gave a weak smile. "Getting hit by that weird ink just threw me off." Her smile grew. "But I'm back!"

Marie pulled her into a hug. "Welcome back, Callie," she said, a tear escaping her eyes.

Callie, on the other hand, burst out into tears. "Ohh, Marie!" she cried. "I missed you!"

"Me too," she confessed. "Me too."

They let go, where the black-haired lady proceeded to say, "Let's never split up again."

"Ha." The grey-haired lady wiped another tear from her starry eyes. "Just what I was gonna say."

Sheldon, who had gotten out of the truck, pumped a fist and cheered, "Squid Sisters forever!"

"That's right!" Callie agreed. "Squid Sisters forever!"

Alexis walked up to the group and looked at Marie, who nodded. "Squid Sisters forever!" both of them cheered.

After the exclamation, the bronze-skinned girl looked over her shoulders and saw it. The Great Zapfish. It appeared to be unharmed, and it was looking straight into her orange eyes, electricity crackling off of its whiskers. She approached it and placed a hand on its forehead. Seeing as it wasn't electrocuting her, she placed her forehead against it as well.

"I saved you," she whispered. "I never thought I could, but look at me now." She stroked a hand on its dark blue, slippery skin. "DJ Octavio can't harm you anymore. If he tries to, I'll make sure he doesn't. You can go back to Inkopolis, and everything can be normal again." She smiled. "Finally."

Not much could be said out of the Great Zapfish's perpetual smile, but it seemed to have understood her message. It bowed its head, as if allowing her to climb on.

She looked back at the others, who all seemed surprised at the events.

"Wow, you must be something if it's letting you ride it," Callie commented.

"It wouldn't let even Agent 3 ride it!" Marie added, giving one of her signature smiles. "And she's the one who saved it the first time!"

"Go ahead, uh..." the black-haired idol started. "Agent 4, was it?"

The grey-haired idol nodded. "We'll deal with Octavio. Just get back to Inkopolis."

Alexis climbed onto the Great Zapfish, resting just behind its head. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked, frowning.

"Oh, yeah," Callie replied.

"You can still visit us," Marie followed. "It's not like we're gonna lock you out forever. Besides, there's still stuff to do in Octo Canyon."

"No matter what, there's still gonna be Octarians here."

"Until they decide to move somewhere else, that is."

The group laughed. "Alright, see ya," Alexis said as the giant fish rose into the air.

"Bye!" the Squid Sisters finished, waving.

The Great Zapfish shot out of the dome, breaking into the darkness that was Cephalon HQ. It looked around before towards the opening that led into the cavern in the first place. For the first time in a while, Alexis saw the blue sky again. It actually looked prettier, now that she had spent months collecting zapfish from the Octarians' lairs. She surveyed the canyon, seeing the rocky formations that formed tentacles and octopuses. The Great Zapfish hovered over the area briefly before flying back towards Inkopolis.

The fields soon became populated with houses, and soon those houses became an assortment of compacted buildings. Finally, they arrived in Inkopolis Square. The Great Zapfish lowered itself towards the ground to allow the bronze-skinned inkling to hop off. The bottom of her shoes touched the pavement, and she looked back at the creature, which stared at her with its big eyes for a few more moments.

"Thanks," she said, "for everything."

The Great Zapfish curled around the Deca Tower once more, causing it to glow with energy. As it returned to its rightful place, she heard murmurs from her fellow inklings.

"Hey, it's the Great Zapfish!"

"The Great Zapfish is back!"

"Who's that girl?"

"Man, I wish I could ride the Great Zapfish!"

A few moments later, she saw two figures emerge from the manhole that led to Octo Canyon, one with pink ink, the other with lime green ink. Callie and Marie. They walked up to Alexis, smiling. As expected, more comments escaped the other inklings' mouths.

"It's the Squid Sisters!"

"The Squid Sisters are back!"

"Callie's back!"

"Where was she?"

The grey-haired idol scanned the short-haired girl briefly and whispered to her, "You should probably change out of that."

The bronze-skinned inkling looked down at herself and realized she was still wearing the hero suit. "Oh, yeah. I should probably do that." She dashed into the Deca Tower, towards the dressing rooms. She closed the door behind her and pulled out her normal clothes. She changed her ink color back to orange as she let out a sigh of relief. She was actually glad she still wore the hero suit when she arrived; if she had arrived in normal attire, her friends would likely recognize her and start asking questions. Yet, by arriving in hero attire, people would start questioning who she was and why she rode the Great Zapfish back to Inkopolis. It wasn't a great outcome, either, but it was better than the other option.

Now that she was back in her normal outfit—a bobble hat, a pirate-stripe tee, and FishFry sandals, she returned outside, where a crowd had gathered around the newly-reunited Squid Sisters. She made her way towards the front of crowd, where she could watch whatever they had planned. In the corner of her eyes, she noticed that even Pearl and Marina had stepped out of the studio to watch the commotion. Upon sight of Alexis, Marie glanced over towards her and winked.

"Hey there, squidkids!" Callie started, chipper as ever. The crowd quieted down to listen to her speak. "It's me, Callie! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It's been a rough day," Marie added.

"Anyways, I'm here to announce that I'm back, and so are the Squid Sisters, better than ever!" she continued.

"Once Callie's recovered from... recent events, we'll be working on a new song."

"So, we'll see you soon, and remember..."

"Stay fresh!" the two of them concluded, striking their signature pose.

The crowd cheered as they walked back to the manhole they arrived from. Alexis made her way over to them, expectant. At first, they seemed to ignore her, but then the grey-haired inkling looked over at her, smiling.

"Hey, Sheldon told me to tell you he wants you," she informed. "I wouldn't keep him waiting, Alexis."

 _Why does_ Sheldon _want me?_ she wondered. "OK," the orange-haired inkling replied. "I'll go there now."

The bronze-skinned girl started walking to Ammo Knights, where the horseshoe crab had just switched the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open'. He scurried back behind the counter, and Alexis walked into the shop.

"Hey, Sheldon," she greeted.

"Ah!" He looked around the shop before saying, "Four! I have something to give you!" He pulled out a black case and set it on the counter. "Open it up!"

Inside were a pair of familiar dualies. "The Hero Dualies!" she marveled. Her orange eyes focused on the horseshoe crab and she puzzled, "You're giving them to me?"

"Well, it's your signature weapon, isn't it?" he replied. "Like how Callie's is the Hero Roller, Marie's is the Hero Charger, and Agent 3's is the Hero Shot! Original versions, of course. Besides, you can use them to gain even more pratical battle data!"

"Isn't this a little OP?" she questioned. "They're upgraded, so they're much more powerful than some plain old dualies."

"That's where the power of technology comes in! I placed a special limiter on it, so that whenever you take it into a battle here, it'll revert it into something less powerful, making it functionally the same as the Splat Dualies. I even gave it its kit, too. It's the same process I use for the other agents' weapons to make them eligible for battle. Oh! And I've also included a setting that will change the color of the lights on it, too. Right now I've set it to blue, but you can make them red, like its upgraded version, too. Or you can make it green, orange, purple... whatever color you choose!"

"So, they're just fancy dualies now?"

"Well, they'll revert back to their upgraded version in any other scenario. So, in Octo Canyon, they still have their upgraded potential."

"Fresh." She spun one of the dualies in her hand. "I'll be sure to make good use of this."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and battle!"

"You're right...!" Alexis started running out of Ammo Knights. "See ya, Sheldon!"

"Bye!"

As she entered the lobby, Alexis felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Now that the Great Zapfish had been saved, and DJ Octavio was no longer a threat, she had nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about at all...

* * *

_???'s PoV_

In the dead of night, a green-haired inkling girl emerged from a subway entrance located in an alleyway near Inkopolis Square. Her visits to the square were rather frequent, seeing as it was the only way she could substantially eat nowadays. However, she made a point to visit when no one was watching. That way, she could reduce whatever conspiracy theories popped up about her.

This particular visit, however, had her spot something odd. The Great Zapfish now curled around Deca Tower instead of Inkopolis Tower. She only had one question—why? She supposed it was because all the youth had moved to the square, but she suspected a more sinister reason. If two years protecting Inkopolis had taught her anything, it's that she should never take anything at surface value.

She walked to Starfish Drinks, a membership card in her pocket. The girl had bought a year-long membership a few weeks before she left for the cape, and after she and Cap'n Cuttlefish were separated, she decided to put it to good use. She entered the establishment, and after a short wait, she approached the cashier.

"Hey," the cashier, a young adult inkling named Hazel, greeted. "Same as normal?"

She nodded. "Same as normal." As the cashier entered in the items, she slid the card towards her, which Hazel promptly scanned and gave back to her. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The Great Zapfish and Callie came back today. Well, yesterday, considering it's past midnight now."

"Wait, _what?_ " Then, it dawned on her. DJ Octavio had broken out of his snow globe prison once she and Cap'n left, and for some reason, he decided to take Callie as well as the Great Zapfish. _I wonder who saved them. Marie? No, she's too busy._ It was a question for another day, it seemed.

"You didn't hear? It was all over the news six months back."

"No..."

She snickered. "You're a strange girl, you know that? Since November you've been showing up here in nothing but that dirty hero suit and that old cape, you don't have a phone, _and_ now apparently you don't watch TV."

"I used to be fresh," the green-haired inkling pointed out, crossing her arms.

"I could tell. But, do you wanna know something else?"

"What?"

"When the Great Zapfish came back, a girl in a strange hero suit was riding it. Then Callie and Marie showed up, and she ran away."

The girl couldn't help but feel a little jealous. It didn't do that for me. "OK." She started heading towards the order pick-up. "See you later."

"You too!"

If Hazel's words confirmed anything, it was that an Agent 4 was now part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. A few minutes passed, and another worker called her name, handing her a cream-filled coffee and some bread rolls. She sat down to eat her rolls before departing from Starfish Drinks and returning to the subway entrance. Once again, she returned to the lair of darkness and strange Octarians, drinking her coffee as she traveled through the tunnel.

_Don't worry, Cap'n. I'll find you soon, and then we can figure out what the heck happened while we were gone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agent 1? Saved. Agent 2? Happy. Agent 3? Very confused. Agent 4? Also happy. Sorry this a few hours late; I got a little too caught up in gaming. Anyways, this is THE longest chapter in The Rainbow Squids. Over 7,000 words? That's a new record! And there's just so much stuff that happens in this chapter. Most importantly, this is the final Hero Mode chapter, and Agent 4's journey has come to a close. Is there more for her to do? Of course! But not now. This chapter in particular is one I wanted to get to, and we finally have reached it. Thank you for following Alexis on her journey, and here's to more to come! Let's not forget the ending section... I'll admit, that was last minute. I got an idea, and I decided to put it into written form. We'll see her again, I promise you. Thank you all, and see you next week!


	48. Stressed Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie worries over her math test.

_Bonnie's PoV_

"No way..." Yuri breathed, marveling at Alexis's new dualies. "How'd ya get these?" The short-haired inkling let the spiky-haired inkling take one of them, and he began spinning it around. Bonnie, slouching on the table, eyed the dualies. Black-and-lime, decorated by blue lights. _Exactly like..._

"That's a Hero weapon, isn't it?" she suspected.

"Yeah," Alexis confirmed. "Sheldon gave me them."

"Really?" Inigo asked. She nodded.

"I don't understand," the dark-skinned boy admitted. "The only people who have actual Hero weapons are Callie, Marie, and... whoever has the Hero Shot." His yellow eyes glanced around the area before meeting the young girl's orange eyes again. "So what makes you special?"

"I wonder..." Octavia pulled a phone out of her pocket and brought up Squidsagram, showing a picture of the mysterious girl that arrived with the Great Zapfish yesterday. "This girl _does_ look a lot like you, Alexis."

Her sister snatched the dualie out of Yuri's hand and crossed her arms, holding both of them. "And she just looks like me, end of story."

"I think you squids are just jealous," Bonnie noted. "She has some fresh dualies, who cares?"

Yuri and Via looked at each other and shrugged. "Actually... you're right, Bon-Bon," the former started. "They are just some fresh dualies." He scratched the back of his head. "Can't believe I got ahead of myself..."

"I don't know, something's fishy about this whole thing," the latter continued, skeptical.

"Don't worry about it," Perry interjected, leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head. "So what if it's a Hero weapon and Sheldon gave it to her personally? Bon-Bon's right; no one cares."

"Hmm..." The wavy-haired girl's orange eyes stared straight ahead, though it was unclear at just what exactly.

"Anyways..." Roy spoke up. "Wanna go do some turf wars?"

"I don't know..." Bonnie frowned. "I failed my math test today..."

"C'mon, you didn't fail it," Yuri tried to encourage. "I bet you did great!"

"Yeah, there's no way you could have failed!" Via exclaimed, now smiling.

"That's not helping," she murmured. "I couldn't understand it... Like, my teacher just introduced it, and now we're taking a test on it. It's not fair."

"Maybe she'll curve it?" Inigo theorized.

"No, she never curves anything," the beige-skinned inkling argued. She turned into a blue squid on the chair, making her seem small, and closed her eyes. "I'm a failure."

She felt someone pick her up. "Not with that attitude!" chirped the spiky-haired boy. She opened her eyes and was met with Yuri's yellow eyes. Plastered on his face was a big, dumb smile. _Oh no..._ "Say, what grade do bees get?" He paused. "A B+!" A few squids giggled at his joke.

Bonnie stared at him, not impressed. "That wasn't funny."

His smile fell. "It wasn't? Then..." He set her back where she was sitting, where she promptly turned into her kid form. He pushed his phone towards her, which displayed a funny image. "Someone found this old human thing and posted it online. I don't know what it's supposed to be, but it's hilarious!"

The girl laughed. "Does it have music? I think that would make it even better."

"Oh, yeah." He turned up the volume of his phone, and immediately, some sort of pop music started playing in the background. At the sound, the Rainbow Squids started crowding around Yuri, trying to get a good look at his phone.

"There ya go, Yuri," Perry praised, trying to hold back his laughter. "Master of making e-everyone laugh."

"See, Bonnie?" Octavia whispered into her ear. "A good way to take your mind off of things, right?"

"Yeah..." the inkling with the double bun agreed.

* * *

" _BONNIE LARGHA!_ " her mother called.

The blue-haired girl walked to where her mom was sitting and asked with a shaky voice, "Y-Yes?"

"It says right here-" She showed her the phone screen, displaying the score of her latest test. "-That you got a C- on the test. A C-!"

"I'm s-sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. Now hand me your phone."

"Yes, Mom." She pulled a blue phone out of her pocket and slid it into the older inkling's hand.

"You're grounded for the next week. That means no turf wars."

Bonnie frowned, and, with her head low, she lumbered to her room and plopped onto her bed, groaning. _I knew this would happen,_ she told herself. _If only my stupid math teacher covered it more, then I could have got it._ She sighed. _I wish I could have explained myself to Mom..._

About an hour later, she heard her father's voice call her name. "Bonnie!" he yelled. "Our old teammates are here!" By 'our', he meant 'me and your mom's'. When they were teenagers, they were both part of a team known as Ink Rush. As the story goes, they were among the top-rated teams in Inkopolis and won numerous tournaments. Eventually, the team's captain, Bonnie's mom, and her right-hand man, Bonnie's dad, fell in love, and after several years of battling, the team disbanded after everyone was caught up in their own lives.

Bonnie always worried that the Rainbow Squids would disband because of a similar reason. And they were so close to breaking apart because of the feud between Roy and Octavia a while back. That fact that they managed to reconcile was a miracle in her eyes, and it only solidified how glad she was to be in the Rainbow Squids.

The blue-haired inkling walked down the stairs of her home to see two new inklings sitting at a table with her parents. All four of them had changed their ink color to a royal blue color. She had met her parent's teammates before, but it had been at least two years since she last saw them. Bonnie's parents looked similar to her—both had beige-colored skin, though her father had a slightly darker shade. Another member of Ink Rush was named James, having warm ivory-colored skin and stern brown eyes. The last member of that team was named Beth, having almond-colored skin and green eyes.

Upon seeing the teenaged inkling, Beth grinned. "Oh, Bonnie!" she exclaimed. "Look at how much you've grown!"

"It's only been two years," she muttered.

"Two years is still a long time for you, is it not?" James remarked.

"And so much has happened in the turf war scene these last two years!" the woman added. "The complete overhaul of specials, so many new weapons, et cetera."

"And it's very different from back in the eighties," the girl's dad mused. "Rollers weren't really a thing back then."

"There were a lot less chargers to choose from," her mom added. "The Squiffer and the Goo Tuber didn't exist, and neither did the scoped weapons. The E-liter was just bad, so the Splat Charger and the Bamboozler were pretty much your only choices. They were a lot less fancy, too."

She didn't really care, but all Bonnie could say in response was, "Fresh."

"I knew you would think of it as fresh," she beamed.

"I brought something else, too." Beth reached into her bag and pulled out a DVD case. "Our first tournament! Now on DVD!" The adult inklings made a sound of awe on sight of it.

"Can't we just watch it on the internet?" James grumbled. "I bet it's there, too."

"I know, but isn't this more homely, Jamie?"

"I guess."

"Alright! Let's go watch!"

As the group walked towards the living room, Bonnie's mom paused to look over her shoulder, towards her daughter, and said, "You're still grounded, but you're welcome to watch it with us if you'd like."

The beige-skinned girl looked to the side before returning her attention to her mother and replied, "Sure. I don't have anything else to do."

"Great!"

Her parents and friends had taken up the entire couch, so Bonnie was forced to sit the rocking chair next to it. Beth put the DVD in the player and bounced back to the couch to watch whatever came on. A few seconds later a selection screen popped up, and Beth, who had the remote, pressed 'play'. Seconds later an announcer began talking, describing the tournament, called Ika Tournament, and its rules. The first match displayed, to no one's surprise, Ink Rush.

"On the Alpha Team, represented by the color blue, we have the up-and-coming Ink Rush! From left to right, we have James 'Jamie' Fiddler with the .96 Gal, Henry Largha with the new Splat Roller, team captain Alice Baleen with the Splat Charger, and Elizabeth 'Beth' Lepturus with the Splattershot!" He announced the other team before handing the microphone off to two cuttlefish, who Bonnie presumed to be the idols on Inkopolis News at the time. Throughout the match, they provided commentary on what was happening.

Bonnie sank into cushions of the rocking chair with a sigh. _This is gonna be a long week..._

* * *

When the blue-haired inkling arrived at school the next morning, she was immediately surrounded by the Rainbow Squids, minus Alexis, making her a little nervous.

"Hey, Bon-Bon, what happened?" Perry asked.

"Yeah, you weren't responding to any of my texts yesterday!" Octavia added.

"I got grounded," she replied.

" _What?!_ Really?!" Via exclaimed, surprised.

The beige-skinned girl nodded. "I got a C- on my math test, and my mom grounded me for it."

"And she took away your phone?" Inigo perplexed. She nodded. "Dang, no wonder."

"But a C- isn't bad," Yuri tried to cheer her up. "At least it wasn't an F!"

"If I got an F, I'd be grounded for a month," Bonnie argued.

"But still, you didn't do that bad," the yellow-haired boy pointed out.

"In my mom's eyes, I did."

Roy let out a frustrated sigh. "Enough 'mom' this, 'mom' that." His red eyes focused on Bonnie's blue ones. "How do you feel about it?"

She blinked before replying, "I..." She never really thought about it before. For almost all of her life, she had been a follower, to the point where she rarely made a choice for herself. She always just followed the words of others, fearing backlash if she refused. "I... don't like it. Being grounded."

"But what about the test?" he pressed. "You happy with a C- or not?"

"Well, it led to me being grounded, so... No?"

"You don't sound sure."

"Alright, I don't know. I thought I would do worse, but I only got a C-. Which is..." She smiled. "Considering what happened... _good._ " She looked around at her friends. "Thanks, squids."

"No prob." Perry winked.

"That's what friends are for," Inigo remarked.

"Remember, no matter what happens..." Roy started.

"We'll always be the Rainbow Squids," Via continued.

"Nothing can break us apart!" Yuri exclaimed. "Absolutely nothing at all!" They looked at her, expectant of her to continue the motto.

"...Oh!" Bonnie blushed, a little embarrassed. "And if anything tests our friendship..."

"You can be assured," Inigo stated.

"That we will stay!" Perry proclaimed.

"Go, Rainbow Squids!" they all finished.


	49. A New Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a mysterious lady comes up to Inigo, promising him help for his love troubles, he decides to take the gamble.

_Inigo's PoV_

"Hey," greeted Inigo, smirking. Leaning against the wall of the lobby, he rested one arm on his Carbon Roller, its wheel touching the ground. "Are you a siren?" He snapped his fingers. "Because you just serenaded me."

"Ew, gross," muttered the girl he was talking to. She crossed her arms and walked away.

The indigo-haired boy simply sighed. "Have I lost my touch?" he asked himself. Slouching, he walked towards the exit of the Deca Tower, his roller trailing behind him. He was about to step outside when he heard something beat against the concrete. Grey skies sprawled out in the distance, and water dripped off of metal surfaces. _Oh,_ he realized. _It's raining._

He sat down on a free bench inside the lobby and pulled out his phone. It had been one week since Callie returned, and now, everyone was talking about the Squid Sisters' new song, Fresh Start, that was released today. Inigo hadn't had a chance to listen to it, so he figured now would be a good time. He put in his earbuds and started playing the audio released—it lacked a music video as of now. He leaned back against the metal wall and hummed along to the song.

When the song finished, he immediately added it to his Bubblify list. _That was sooo fresh!_ he said to himself. Inigo proceeded to make a post about it on Squidsagram, and after he finished, he noticed someone new standing in front of him. A pale-skinned inkling quite a few years older than him looked down at him with dark, almost black, eyes. Her long hair was colored red, and she wore a simple white sweater, black pants, and punk yellows. She closed a red, blue, and yellow umbrella and set it to the side.

"Hi, umm... do you need anything?" he asked the lady.

"I think the question is, do _you_ need anything?" she asked back.

"Why do you ask?"

"You don't look happy."

"Well, one, it's raining, and two, I've been having love troubles."

"Love troubles?" A smile danced across her lips. "I can help with that."

He gasped. "You can?!"

"Oh, yeah. I'm a certified love expert." She pulled out her phone and showed Inigo a picture of her next to a certificate. "See?"

The boy with the ponytail examined it. "Tiffany Teuthis," he read. "That's your name?"

"Mhm." She put her phone away. "So, want help?"

"Yeah!" he replied cheerfully. _Maybe if this lady helps me get a girlfriend, I can finally move on from Geneva!_ He leaped up from the bench and pumped a fist. "What first?"

"Well, describe your love troubles first." For a few moments, he hesitated. Should he really be telling a stranger something so personal? "Well?" Tiffany asked again.

He gulped. "O-Over a year ago my girlfriend broke up with me." He gripped the handle of his Carbon Roller a little tighter. "So, I've been flirting with other squids to try to get a another one and move on, but it hasn't been working." _Fable doesn't count_ , he added silently. Though the girl clearly liked him, he saw her only as a friend. He couldn't see them getting together any time soon.

"I see. Could you show me an example?"

"An example? Of my flirting?" The red-haired lady nodded. "Well..." He scanned the lobby for a little bit and saw a girl with yellow hair styled into a double bun. Throwing his roller over his shoulder, he approached her and cleared his throat. The girl turned around and sighed at the sight of him. "I could stare at you for hours because you're so beautiful."

"That's creepy," she commented before walking away from him.

Inigo frowned and turned back towards Tiffany. "See?"

"Hmm... The problem is that you use pick-up lines. Sometimes words don't speak to people," she informed him.

"Really?" He couldn't believe his ears. Geneva liked his pick-up lines, but it seemed strange that no one else liked them. "What else could I do?"

"Ever heard the saying, 'actions speak louder than words?'" she started. "You need to _do_ something romantic, not just say it."

"How would I do that?"

"How about when someone falls, you swoop in and grab them. Maybe gaze at them lovingly as well."

Inigo looked towards the exit of Deca Tower, only to find it was still raining. "That might take a while."

"Or will it?" Tiffany sat down on the bench and stretched out her legs, crossing them. An inkling girl started walking towards the exit when she tripped over the lady. Alarmed, the indigo-haired boy dropped his Carbon Roller and ran towards her and wrapped a hand around her waist before she could fall flat on her face. The girl let out a small gasp and turned to face him. Inigo smiled and try to display the most loving gaze possible.

"Uh..." She turned to a squid and slipped out of the fair-skinned boy's arms before reforming in front of him. "Thanks for saving me, but before you ask, I have a boyfriend already."

Inigo groaned and picked up his roller. "And nothing will change that?"

She shook her head. "I love him too much to let him go for a stranger."

"Aw..."

After the girl left, Tiffany cleared her throat, and the boy returned his attention to her. "Maybe the problem is something else?"

"Something else?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Maybe you're not fresh enough—some people do have high standards, after all."

"Wha- I'm S rank, _and_ I'd been level 50 for almost two years before they raised the max last fall. _How_ is that not fresh enough?!"

"Woah, you're superfresh," the red-haired lady complimented. "If it's not because you're not fresh enough, then maybe it's your looks?"

"My... looks?"

"Yeah. You look like a squid someone could beat up for lunch money with that outfit. Girls want someone that can protect them, not a weakling. The vocal dissonance doesn't help."

"I main the Carbon Roller, though. I could totally protect someone!"

"They won't know that at first glance, would they?"

"No."

"Exactly. So, we need to make you seem more attractive."

"How?"

"Girls _also_ like bad boys. For whatever reason, they seem fresher and hotter than the average nice guy, even if the bad boy's super skinny and the nice guy's buff."

"So, you're saying I need to dress like a bad boy?"

"Yeah! What clothes come to mind when I say that?"

"Hmm... Leather jackets, satin jackets, pretty much anything by Annaki, punk boots, masks..."

"Alright! How about you wear some of that gear, and tomorrow, you can tell me what happened!"

"I'll try it." Inigo pulled out his phone and showed the lady a screen with his phone number on it. "This is so we can stay in touch," he explained, winking.

"Great." Tiffany put his phone number into her phone and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You, too!"

* * *

The next day at school, Inigo walked in wearing a Forge mask, a rockin' leather jacket, and punk whites. He even put on some leggings instead of his usual shorts this time. He stood in the middle of the hallway and crossed his arms, his indigo eyes scanning the area. He got a few odd looks as people passed by him, but not much else. Soon, Roy approached him, bewildered.

"Inigo, what are you wearing?" he asked.

"Some 'bad boy' clothes," he replied. "It was recommended by a certified love expert."

"A certified love expert? Those exist?" the red-haired boy perplexed.

"Yeah." He pulled up the picture of Tiffany posing next to her certificate and showed it to his friend. "See?"

"Interesting..." He straightened and looked into Inigo's eyes with his red ones. "So, what plan did you come up with?"

"Well, my love expert said if I looked like a bad boy, people would find me more attractive, so I'm gonna try it and see what happens," the boy with the ponytail replied.

"Well, good luck," Roy told him. "Tell me if it works."

"Don't worry, I will."

Inigo strolled up to a group of inkling girls and put one hand on the wall and the other on his hip. "Hey, ladies."

The girls turned around to face him. "Inigo?" one of them muttered. Even more of them giggled at his outfit.

Turning his attention to the girl that said his name, he purred, "You are the light of my life, Molly. We could be together forever."

"Actually, you're my sleep paralysis demon. Goodbye." Molly walked away, and the rest of the girls followed her. Inigo felt a little disheartened by the failed attempt, but it was only his first try—he still had the whole day to go!

The indigo-haired inkling next approached a girl sitting on the ground, drawing something in a notebook. "Hey," he greeted, placing a hand on the wall again. The girl looked up at him. "I bet that drawing is a masterpiece, but do you know what else is a masterpiece? You." He finished his pick-up line with a wink. The inkling girl's only response was to scream and run off. "Oh..." he mumbled, shaking his head. _No matter. I'll just try again!_ Inigo scanned the hallway again and spotted a girl wearing a black inky rider. _Maybe a_ bad girl _would like a_ bad boy.

He strolled up to her, moonwalking in front of her to make sure he got her attention. "Hey there," he greeted her.

The girl's pink eyes scanned him, and she asked, "Don't you usually wear a sailor outfit?"

"Yes, but that's not important—I'm a new me, with a new outfit to go with it. So, what do you say? Shall we go bike-riding into the sunset together?"

The girl stifled a laugh. "I don't ride bikes, and I'm certainly not interested in you." Inigo stopped and slouched over with a groan. She gave him a pat on the head before passing him.

_This isn't going too well..._

* * *

After school, Inigo found Tiffany standing outside of the Deca Tower. Immediately on seeing her, he ran up to her, calling her name.

"Tiffany, Tiffany!" he called. "This didn't work!"

"It didn't?" the red-haired lady blurted.

He nodded. "It went horribly, in fact!"

"Hmm... If even that didn't work, then I have one final idea."

"Please tell me, I'm desperate at this point!"

Tiffany began walking into one of the alleyways. "Follow me." Nodding, the boy with the ponytail followed the woman into the dark alley. They stopped in front of a dumpster that was presumably behind some sort of office building. She turned around, her dark eyes looking into his indigo ones, and pulled out a fancy-looking Carbon Roller. "This is yours."

Inigo took the roller and set its wheel to the ground. "What about it?"

"It has the speed of a Carbon Roller, but the power of a Splat Roller. With a fresh weapon like this, you're sure to impress any lady that comes your way," she explained. "But there's more." Leaning towards his ear, she began whispering her plan to the fair-skinned boy. "Think about it, boy. You could have everything. You'll no longer be treated like a joke. Ladies will kill to have you. Even better, you can have all the ladies you want. Nothing will get in your way. So, what do you say?"

"I..." Even to Inigo, her plan seemed a little extreme. If it failed, the consequences could be enormous. But, if anything, it's _never_ to be indecisive. _Go with the first choice_ , he reminded himself. And, to be honest, he quite liked this plan. Besides, the rewards were just too hard to resist.

"I'll do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guessed it - we're heading into another arc. This one will span quite a few chapters. Now, I don't trust Tiffany... do you?


	50. Panic of the Horseshoe Crab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lori and Deadeye agree to give Perry E-liter lessons.

_Perry's PoV_

"So, Lori, Deadeye," Perry started, "ya told me yer gonna show me how to use an E-liter today?"

Deadeye nodded. "That's right," she confirmed. "Lori'll teach you how to use the vanilla version, while I'll teach you how to use its scoped version."

"It's good to get the basics down, first," Lori added.

"So, what are we waitin' for?" the purple-haired boy teased. "Let's go to the shooting range!"

The two girls nodded, and the group walked into Ammo Knights, hoping to ask Sheldon permission to both borrow an E-liter 4K and to use the shooting range. Instead, they were met with three female inklings—Alexis, alongside two inklings some years older than her.

"I told you, I _don't_ have it!" one of the older inklings, a lady with long black hair and hot pink tips, persisted.

"If anyone stole it, it would be Four," the other older inkling, one with short grey hair and lime green tips, remarked, bringing a hand to her face.

"Why would _I_ have it?" Alexis questioned. "I only use it in-"

Perry interrupted their conversation with an 'ahem,' and the group turned around to face him, Lori, and Deadeye. Sheldon walked in front of them.

"Ah! Hope you didn't hear anything important!" the black-haired inkling fretted. Her eyes were covered by black shades.

"Uh... What's going on?" Deadeye asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My new-and-improved Hero Roller has gone missing," Sheldon explained. "It's very valuable, and I can't let that baby fall into the wrong hands!"

"We're the ones testing it, so he came to us first," the grey-haired inkling elaborated. She was wearing a lime green baseball cap that obscured her eyes, alongside a white face mask.

"Wait, Alexis," Perry's purple eyes glanced over at the bronze-skinned girl. "I didn't know you test weapons!"

"Yeah, I do," she confirmed. "It's noth-"

"Is that how you got the Hero Dualies?" he quickly followed up.

She nodded. "Please don't tell anyone about this..." she whined.

"But why would you keep such a fresh thing from everyone?"

"Because it's supposed to be secret!"

"And we're not lookin' for new members right now," the grey-haired inkling added in jest. "Sorry."

"Aight, aight! I won't tell!" he conceded. "Promise!"

"Tentacle promise?" Alexis turned into a squid and dropped to the floor, where she lifted herself up and held out an orange tentacle.

Perry sighed and turned into a squid himself, wrapping a purple tentacle around hers. "Tentacle promise." The two kids reformed, and instead of tentacles, their pinkies were wrapped around each other.

When they let go, Sheldon looked up at Perry, Lori, and Deadeye and asked, "So, how can I help you on this fine day?"

"We need two things," Lori started. "One: An E-liter 4K. Two: To use the shooting range."

"An E-liter 4K? Are you looking to buy one?" he asked.

"Probably not." Lori patted Perry on the head, leading him to blush a little. "Perry here wants to learn how to use one, and we're gonna teach him."

"Ah, I see." The horseshoe crab walked over to an empty version of the aforementioned charger and handed it to the pale-skinned boy. Upon touch, the tank of the E-liter became filled with purple ink. "Well, of course you can use my shooting range. Now, have fun!"

"Don't worry." Deadeye smirked. "We will."

The three walked out the back of Ammo Knights, to the shooting range. Some squid bumpers were set up, ready to be shot at. Perry and Lori changed their ink color to match Deadeye's—pink—and revealed their weapons.

"Alright, first lesson," Lori announced. "How to hold an E-liter."

"How...?" Perry blinked. "I've used chargers before; it can't be _that_ different."

"How well did you do?" she asked, placing a hand on her chin.

"Not good," he replied.

"Then you either have a bad aim, or, more likely, you're not holding it correctly." The boy with spiky bangs held up the E-liter 4K, though he didn't dare press down on the trigger just yet. He pointed towards the nearest squid bumper to the entrance. "Lower." He followed her instructions.

"Lori," he started, clenching his teeth, "I think I'll pull a muscle if I keep holdin' this."

"Like I said, you're not holding it correctly. Relax your shoulders."

"Relax... my shoulders?" The girl with the ends of her hair cut off walked over to him and pushed down on his shoulders. Perry didn't bother to resist, and his shoulders fell.

"There. Without the tension, it should be much easier."

The pale-skinned boy stood there for a few seconds and realized the previous shoulder pain was indeed, gone. "Hey, you're right!" He looked over at Lori and smiled. "Thanks!"

"No problem." She returned his words with a smile. "Now, let's see..." She examined the E-liter he held once more, moving his hands to fix his grip when needed. "There. Now, drop it."

His purple eyes blinked. "Drop it?"

"Just drop it," she groaned. Perry released his grip, and the E-liter 4K dropped to the ground with a thud. "Now, pick it back up." He picked it back up, remembering to relax his shoulders. Her grey eyes squinted at him. "Hmm... Higher." He raised it. "That's too high. Lower it." He lowered it. "Alright, that's good. As for your hands, move the non-firing hand up a little."

"The 'non-firing hand'?"

"You know." Lori spun her hand around, moving her fingers. "The hand that's not on the trigger."

"Oh! Got it." He moved his hand up the charger, only for Lori to tell him to move it a little further back. Once it was finally in the perfect position, she gave a thumbs-up before telling him to drop the E-liter again.

"Don't ya think you're being a little too strict?" Deadeye asked her companion. "He's just starting to learn this weapon, after all."

"Deedee, trust me." She winked. "I've got this covered."

The wavy-haired girl blushed. "Y-Yeah, but you can't expect him to have the perfect position when holding it."

The girl with the ends of her hair cut off sighed, then smiled. "You know? You're right." Her grey eyes returned to face Perry. "Pick it back up," she demanded, and he did as instructed. Without checking his positioning, she continued, "Now, aim at that dummy over there." She pointed at the squid bumper in the back of the shooting range. "Press down on the trigger... and when that light glows and you hear a beep..." She tapped the back of the charger's tank. "Fire!"

Perry took a few steps towards the dummy and watched as the beam emitting from the E-liter 4K got longer and longer. When he heard a beep, he let go of the trigger, and a huge stream of pink ink flew out of the charger, piercing the squid bumper and making it pop.

"Good, but that's expected—still targets are easy," Lori proceeded. "Let's try it with a moving target." They walked over to the other side of the shooting range, which featured squid bumpers moving back-and-forth, on a set track. "Pop at least one of them."

The boy with spiky bangs charged up a shot, aiming it at one of the dummies, and fired, but he missed. Frowning, he tried again. Once more, he missed. He fired, then missed, fired, then missed... He had to refill his ink tank at least twice before he finally managed to pop one.

"That took a while," Lori commented.

"I don't understand why I keep missin'," he admitted. "My aim is usually fresh, but now, for whatever reason, it sucks."

"You main the Sloshing Machine, right?" Deadeye inquired.

"Yeah, what about it?" he replied with a question.

"Well, a charger isn't a slosher," she pointed out. "It needs more precision. You absolutely need a direct hit to splat someone, unlike the Sloshing Machine, where you can just throw ink all day and get a splat without trying."

"Ah..." The pale-skinned inkling looked back at the squid bumpers. "Then I'll just have to keep practicing." He charged up the E-liter 4K again, and somehow, he managed to hit one of them. "Ha! See? I can get one first try!"

"You just got lucky," groaned Lori. "Do it a few more times."

"Now, before that, I have something to tell you." His ultimate plan for asking Lori and Deadeye to help him with his E-liter 4K skills was to ask the former out on a date. He had been building up a plan for quite some time, now, and finally, he was going to execute it.

"Oh?" the girl asked. "What is it?" Perry pulled out his phone and began playing some trap music. Setting it against the wall, he then grabbed a traffic cone to use as a microphone. Lori raised an eyebrow and looked over at Deadeye. The wavy-haired inkling whispered something to her, and she proceeded to grab her hand. "This won't end well," the grey-eyed girl murmured. There was a pause in the music, and then Perry began rapping.

"Hey, hey! Perry in da house! Now, let's go! / Lori! The name that rhymes with glory! / Glamorous, fantabulous, glorious! / These words are the ones I use to describe Lori! / It's time to be victorious! / But wait, let me stop ya right there. / Why would I end it there? / The song's just beginning, I swear. / Lori, you're just so rare. / There's no other girl like ya. / Who else has superb skills? / Not me, that's for sure, ha! / But who else gives me the chills?"

The music got more intense as he got to the bridge. "There's no one like you. / Really no one like you. / So, if only you knew. / How much I love you!" The volume peaked at its chorus. "O-oh, Lori! / Tell a, story! / Make me laugh and cry! / 'til you say goodbye! / I'm the one, I'm the one. / For ya, for ya! / Let's go have lots of fun. / Lori, la la!" As an instrumental played, Perry started to dance, mimicking the moves he had seen playing Squid Beatz 2.

As the beat calmed down, he stopped dancing and proceeded to rap the next verse. "Please, will ya go out with me? / I would really really like that. / As beautiful as the sea. / We can go out and have a chat. / We can go eat at a restaurant. / Or maybe a café! / And then we can hang at a resort! / Or Inkopolis Bay! / Which do ya like? / It doesn't matter to me. / Will feelings spike? / We'll be as busy as bees!"

The purple-eyed boy proceeded to sing the bridge again, then the chorus. After the chorus ended again, there was a much longer instrumental this time, in which he proceeded to show several more dance moves. The beat dropped, and he proceeded to sing the chorus again, all while dancing.

"Oh yeah!" he finished the song off with. After the music ended, Perry struck a pose and glanced over at Lori. "So, what do ya think?"

She simply blinked. "It's a nice song, but there's one problem."

"What?"

"I'm already dating someone." Lori and Deadeye glanced at each other and smiled. The former gave the latter a kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush.

It was then Perry realized just who Lori was dating. "Oh..." He frowned, lowering his shoulders. "You're dating Deadeye."

"Yeah, I thought it was obvious."

"You won't change your mind?"

"Nah, I'm pretty happy right now. Besides, if I did, I would be dating another girl."

"Oh..."

The wavy-haired girl recomposed herself and asked, "So... do you still want E-liter lessons?"

He nodded. "I'm not abandoning this."

"Alright," Lori started, "remember what I said earlier?" The inkling with spiky bangs picked up the charger again. "Keep taking down the dummies with your E-liter, until I give the OK." He proceeded to follow her instructions in silence, the rejection still heavy on his mind. "OK, that's good. I think you got the basics down."

His purple eyes met her grey ones. "Are we learning more advanced techniques now?"

"Not for today."

Deadeye looked over at her partner and inquired, "Do I get to teach now?" She nodded. The red-eyed girl stepped up, pulling out a Custom E-liter 4K Scope. She placed the weapon in Perry's hands and informed, "I'll let you borrow mine for today."

"Wow." He studied the charger. A heart-shaped charm hung off one of the beams connected to the tank. "Thanks."

"No problem." She cleared her throat and began her explanation. "Scoped chargers aren't much different from normal chargers. There's three main differences—it has a scope, obviously, it can't store charges, and it has a slightly better range than a normal charger."

"I never knew about the range thing," Perry remarked.

"It's a slightly obscure fact," Deadeye noted. "Now, let's get you used to that scope. Still or moving squid bumpers?"

"Moving!" He was quite confident he could hit even more moving squid bumpers.

"Alright. Now, aim your E-liter." He held up the charger, with the instructor changing his positioning if needed. "Now, press down on the trigger, and look into the scope." Closing one eye, a purple eye peered into the scope, and he watched as his field of view became more and more limited. "Don't lift your head; that messes up your aim," she warned.

"How will I know where to shoot, then?" he asked.

"You have to be aware of your surroundings. Using scoped chargers takes a while to get used to. For now, just judge where to shoot based on what you see in the scope." Once the beam emitted from the charger crossed one of the dummies, he fired, but he ended up missing. He lifted his head and made a groan. "Try again," Deadeye encouraged. He charged up the Custom E-liter 4K Scope again, and after a few more tries, he finally managed to hit one of them.

"Booyah!" he cheered.

"Yes! Do it again!" He proceeded to hit another squid bumper. "And again." Two more tries later, he hit yet another squid bumper. "And again." The instruction repeated until the wavy-haired inkling said, "Now, stop."

Perry looked over at the two girls. "Is that all for today?"

"That's all for today," Lori confirmed.

"If you want to learn more, we can do this again another time," Deadeye added.

"I think I'll prove my skills on the battlefield," he declared, smirking.

"Eager..." the girl with the ends of her tentacles cut off muttered.

Changing his ink color back to normal, the purple-haired boy marched back inside and called Sheldon's name. "I want to buy an E-liter!"

Sheldon came tumbling out of his office, holding a stack of papers. "Ah, so now you want to buy one!" he exclaimed. "Well, which one? There's the standard E-liter 4K, whose pressurized polymer construction gives it a remarkably long range. Though it's more compact than the original, it still has plenty of reach! You can use the Ink Mines to cover your tracks and then use the Ink Storm special to expose anyone hiding from you!" Perry started to tune out the horseshoe crab's explanation, becoming a little bored from it.

"...Hello?" He waved a small hand in front of Perry's face. "Are you still there?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I'll buy the E-liter 4K, plus the scope."

"Both of them? Well, that's marvelous!" Sheldon cheered. "That comes up to a grand total of 28,600G!"

From his wallet, Perry pulled out the silver debit card his dad had given him all those months ago. "Fresh."

They walked over to the POS system. "You know what to do, I hope," the horseshoe crab stated. The purple-haired inkling swiped his card, entered the PIN, and proceeded to sign off on the purchase. Sheldon ran to the cash register and gave Perry his receipt. "Enjoy your splatastic new weapon!"

"Ya bet I will!" Perry started walking towards Lori and Deadeye, who were waiting for him near the entrance.

"Wait!" the vender suddenly shouted. He hurried up to the three, papers in hand. "If you see this weapon, could you tell me?" He handed each of the inklings a paper that depicted a fancy roller. _The Hero Roller?_ Perry guessed. "Please, it's really important!"

"The weapon you were talkin' 'bout earlier?" the pale-skinned boy asked. He nodded.

"The Hero Roller..." the grey-eyed girl pondered.

"You can count on us, Sheldon," the red-eyed girl promised.

"Great!" He waved to the group as they exited the shop. "Come back to Ammo Knights some time!"

"Don't worry, we will," finished Lori.

As they headed to the Deca Tower, Perry stared down at the paper, bewildered. The situation was just so odd. A new Hero Roller? Were there other new Hero weapons, just like it? There were so many questions!

_Well, they're not important. Only bringin' home that roller is!_


	51. If Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the school opens up an anonymous letter event for White Day, Roy wants to send a letter to his crush, but a certain event in his past is holding him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: homophobia.

_Roy's PoV_

Everywhere Roy walked, it seems he could not escape people talking about the freshest squid on the block today—the Vigilante. Unfortunately, this extended to the Rainbow Squids themselves, beginning at lunch that day.

"Hey, squids," started Octavia, "have you heard about the Vigilante?"

"Of course," Roy replied. "You'd have to be living under a rock not hear about him."

"I'm jealous of him," remarked Perry. "All the ladies are falling for him. I'm worried he'll catch Pearl's eye, and she'll go off with him."

"I'm just interested in that roller of his," Yuri commented. "It's so fresh! Where'd he get it?"

"I dunno." The red-haired inkling shrugged and leaned back in the cafeteria chair. "Somewhere."

"I have a theory of where he got it from," Perry spoke up.

"Which is...?" the spiky-haired inkling asked.

"A few days ago, when I went to the shooting range with Lori and Deadeye, Sheldon was panicking over losing a new weapon. A new version of the Hero Roller, apparently," he explained. He pulled a piece of paper out of his backpack, which depicted a strange Carbon Roller with lime-green-and-black accents, and showed it to the group. It read, 'MISSING! If found, please return to Ammo Knights!'.

"Well..." Via pulled up the most well-known picture of the Vigilante thus far on her phone and showed it to the group in return. The mysterious squid donned a hero costume, tinted sunglasses, and a roller matching the one on the flier. He appeared to be about the Rainbow Squids' age, with fair skin and red hair tied up in a ponytail. "Whatcha think?"

"That has to be it," Bonnie concluded.

"So you think he stole it?" Yuri asked the pale-skinned inkling.

Perry nodded. "Yep. That has to be the only explanation behind his fresh roller."

"What do ya think, Inigo?" the tan-skinned boy then asked the boy with the ponytail. He had remained silent the entire time they were in the cafeteria.

"Umm... hey, squids! Have you heard about the new thing the school's doin'?" Inigo instead inquired.

"What?" the wavy-haired girl asked, curious.

"Ahead of White Day, they're doing this little secret admirer thing. Where you write an anonymous message, give it to the student council people, and then on White Day, they'll give your message to whoever you wrote it to," he explained.

"So... basically the same thing they did for Valentine's Day," she concluded.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I swear some people are gonna try to write to the Vigilante," Bonnie mused. "I don't think he even goes to school."

"Yeah, and it isn't like anyone knows who he is," Octavia added.

"I still wonder who the Vigilante could be..." the beige-skinned girl murmured. "He could be anyone."

"Yeah," Yuri agreed.

"So, who are you squids writing to?" Inigo asked, changing the subject once more.

"I don't know," Perry admitted. "Ever since Lori rejected me, I've been a little down in the dumps."

"Still? It's been a week!" the bronze-skinned inkling exclaimed.

"I mean, he _did_ write a song for her," the blue-haired inkling pointed out.

"Yeah, that's dedication right there," the dark-skinned inkling added.

"Anyways, I'll just write to my crush," Via decided. "That's easy."

"Easy for you to say..." Bonnie muttered. "Maybe I'll just write to a friend. Or friends."

"And I'll write to mine, too," Yuri agreed. "Perfect!"

 _My crush..._ The thought made Roy blush. He lowered his head to hide behind his lunch box. _So embarrassing!_

"You OK there, Roy?" Perry asked.

"Don't ask," he requested. "Please."

Later that day, when the Rainbow Squids had met up in Inkopolis Square, they still talked about the Vigilante. Strangely enough, Inigo was not there. The only clue any of them had on his whereabouts was a text saying that he was busy. Some time passed, and Inigo still did not arrive. However, Octa Prisma did walk up to them, complete with a new member.

"I thought you inklings would be liking to know," Giovanni started, "that we have a new member."

"Hello," greeted a familiar blue-haired boy. "My name is Brayden."

"He used to be spying on the Octarians for the us," elaborated Iris. "Now that DJ Octavio is the captured again, he has no need to spy."

"Right," Brayden confirmed. "It did not take long before I convinced Giovanni to let me join the group."

"I am hoping we find a member of six soon!" Yvonne bubbled. "We no do want Brayden alone in battle!"

"The criteria is being purple and having a slosher, or is being red and having a charger," Oscar added.

"You could call us if you know someone with that criteria," Gio offered.

"We don't have your numbers," Bonnie pointed out.

"Will you-" the octoling with the afro began.

"You can call us from where you sit," the green-haired boy interrupted. "We sit over there." He pointed to a table with a purple squid-shaped pillow in the middle of it.

Yvonne ran over to the table and grabbed the pillow. "This is me!" she exclaimed. "Uh, mine!" she corrected herself. "No purple, or a squid!" she assured them, shaking her head.

"She won it from a claw machine at the arcade," Brayden commented. "After she won it, she asked me why I was not in Octa Prisma. That led to me asking if I could join Octa Prisma."

"I see," Roy muttered. His red eyes drifted over to Oscar. He was fidgeting with his fingers, a nervous smile framing his face. _Too bad we didn't get their numbers._ Truth be told, he would have liked that. If only the rivalry between the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma didn't get in the way...

"Oh, did you guys hear about the Vigilante?" Via then asked.

"Of course." Giovanni crossed his arms and smirked. "How can I not hear about the Vigilante?"

"There is something off about the Vigilante," the blue-haired octoling admitted.

"Yes, I do not be trust him," Yvonne agreed.

"Me neither," Alexis spoke up. "That roller doesn't belong to him. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve?"

"What?" the yellow-haired girl asked. "'Tricks he has up his sleeve?'"

"It's an expression," explained the wavy-haired inkling. "Basically, he might try something other than woo girls."

"Ah, I be getting the it." She grinned. "Thank you!"

"No problem." She winked.

"Anyways, the Vigilante," Gio directed. "I will be looking into him."

"Wait, you're gonna help us?!" Perry exclaimed, eyes widening. "Knowin' you, I thought you wouldn't care about him!"

"I have seen the flier of Sheldon," he informed. "I know the Hero Roller is the missing." A giddy smile came across his face as he adjusted his short beanie a little bit. "If I find the roller, perhaps the Squid Sisters will be noticing me!"

"What... do the Squid Sisters have to do with anything?" Via questioned.

"Oh, right." He slouched. "I forget that you do not know about the Calamari Inkantation..."

"Y'know, this is the one time your stalking is kinda useful," started Alexis once more, leaning back in her chair. "So, yeah. Find out more about this Vigilante guy."

He blinked. "You implying my 'stalking' is never useful." He sighed. "We should be going." He turned around and started walking away from them. "Goodbye." The other Rainbow Squids said goodbye back, leaving the group alone once more.

As the heat receded from his cheeks, Roy stood up and put his hands on the table. "I'm taking a walk," he announced. _It's not like I can talk to Inigo, anyways._

"...Alright," said Bonnie.

"Have fun!" cheered Yuri.

The red-haired boy smiled and started walking towards the direction of Grizzco's. Though, he wasn't going to do a Salmon Run—there was no way he was doing that again. Instead, he wanted to walk elsewhere. Really, he just wanted to clear his head of whatever thoughts were invading his mind. He put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and started walking.

The cool air blew at him, and he smiled as he felt the breeze. After everything that had happened today, it was like a hug, someone coming to smother him in relief. And then he smiled. _So relaxing..._ But then he started to think about his crush again, who could hug him so lovingly. He grumbled and kicked a pebble off the sidewalk.

Soon, he found himself at Blackbelly Skatepark. When it wasn't being used for turf wars, it was actually quite active. He entered the premises and sat down on a bench near a wall. His red eyes watched some preteens mess around, trying to skateboard to the best of his ability. A memory from when he was twelve began to resurface.

_A red inkling boy sat on the bench, holding up his violin. The music stand was set up, but regardless, he had spent days practicing this song, in hopes his crush, who happened to be skateboarding, would notice. Red eyes glanced over at the other inkling briefly, and then he began to play the serenade._

_Admittedly, it wasn't his best work, but he was just so eager. The notes flew off the strings, creating a lovely, if out-of-tune, melody. A few skaters gave him a few looks, but they mostly ignored him. Roy smiled. Everything was going, just as he hoped. The only thing that hadn't happened yet was his crush noticing him._

_The one person he hoped wouldn't notice it noticed it, however. School bully Hunter strolled up to him, alongside his friends. The green inkling crossed his arms, a malicious grin on his face._

_"Hey, fishface," he spat. "Who's that song for?"_

_At the sight of him, the violin bow slid out of his hand, bringing the song to a halt with a screeching note. "No one!" he snapped, hugging the instrument. His cheeks burned with embarrassment._

_"C'mon," he jeered. "That's not true."_

_"It's for no one!" Roy persisted._

_Hunter snatched the sheet music out of the stand and read it. "'Lovefish'? Seriously?" He let out a bellowing laugh. "Ha! Pathetic! Trying to win over someone with music? When will you ever learn?"_

_"Hey!" he shouted, unable to find any other words to defend himself._

_"Stupid fishface." The green inkling picked up the bow and pressed it against his leg, the pressure eventually breaking it in two. Roy's jaw dropped as the two pieces of wood fell to the floor._

_"No!" the red inkling cried. He threw his violin aside and tackled him. The two boys started rolling down the hill, fighting. Roy punched him, and with his other hand, he grabbed the other boy's ponytail and pulled on it._

_"Ow! Freak!" he hissed. He clenched one of Roy's loose tentacles and pulled on it, causing a surge of pain to go through it. While he was distracted, the two flipped positions, allowing Hunter to kick him in the side. The red boy fell to the floor, and the green boy put a foot on his belly. Roy grabbed his shin and pried the leg off of him, allowing another attempt to attack Hunter, only for him to crash into the wall. He grabbed Roy's arm and pulled it towards him. "And weak, too," he whispered._

"I'M NOT WEAK!" _the red inkling roared, punching Hunter in the jaw with his free hand. Some blood trickled out of the green inkling's mouth, but he simply glanced over at his friends, and the other boys promptly began smashing the violin into the ground._ "NO! STOP IT, NO!" _Roy started to cry._ "NO, NO, NO!" _He screamed until his voice began to become hoarse. Hunter let go of his arm, and he dropped to the floor._

_"'Not weak,' you say?" Hunter snarled. He looked over at his friends. "C'mon, boys. Let's get out of here."_

_The other inklings tossed the remains over at Roy. At the sight of the destroyed violin, Roy began to cry some more._

_"No, no..."_

Since that incident, Roy had been careful not to show any romantic feelings. Any time it tried to wriggle its way out of his body, he always suppressed it. It had been haunting him for years, and yet here he was, contemplating sending an anonymous letter to his crush. _I should just forget it. It's not like..._

His thoughts trailed off when he saw someone familiar. An inkling about a year older than him, with olive skin and green hair tied up into a ponytail. He chatted with some friends, whipping a phone out of his hoodie. A long-buried hatred fired up in him again. _Hunter..._ He found himself approaching him, shoulders tense. _I'm not backing down this time._

"Hey!" he yelled. Hunter and his friends looked over at him, confused. "Remember me?!"

"Uh... no?" the green-haired inkling responded. He squinted at him for a few moments, and then he followed up with, "OK, you look a little familiar, but I still don't know you."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Is this a joke?! You seriously don't remember?!"

"Remember _what_?"

"The violin!"

"Ohh, Roy!" Hunter rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, it's just that you look really different now."

 _He's not calling me 'fishface'._ "What do you have to say for yourself?" he snarled.

He blinked. "You're still mad?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He snickered. "Look, that was a _long_ time ago. I've changed since then."

"I don't believe it."

"Then I'll prove it. I'm sorry."

"You... wait, what?"

Hunter stepped past his friends and approached Roy. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for calling you names, beating you up, and breaking your violin." His expression was impossible to read, but something in those green eyes suggested that he was truly remorseful.

The red-haired boy's anger started to fade, but he still did not believe him. "Sure you are," he simply muttered.

"I am. I can give you help, if you really want it."

"No."

"You-"

"I said no." He turned his back on him and started to walk towards the exit of Blackbelly Skatepark. "That's final." _I can't stand to look at him any longer._

"Whatever. You know where to find me if you come running back, though."

* * *

Days past, and soon, it was the middle of March, on the day known as White Day. Roy came to school holding several boxes of chocolates, meant for all the girls that gave him chocolate back on Valentine's Day, but to him, it was a simple act of courtesy. It was tradition that boys gave chocolate back to the girls who had given them chocolate previously, so he felt it was necessary to uphold that tradition.

On the other hand, after some encouragement from his friends, he did end up writing a letter to his crush. Since it was an anonymous letter, no one would know who wrote what, but he still hoped his crush liked it, anyways. The chances were slim, but he had to hope for the best.

After he delivered all the chocolates, Roy arrived at his first class of the day, right before the bell rang for the first time. People poured into the classroom, and quickly did the lesson began. While the teacher was teaching, someone knocked on the door. Iris got up from her seat and opened it, only to find Alexis and another inkling girl, holding a basket.

"Hello," greeted Roy's math teacher.

"We've come with a delivery," the girl accompanying Alexis announced, striking a pose.

"The White Day letters," the short-haired inkling followed up. "We'll say your names, and when your name is called, raise your hand, and we'll give the letter to you."

The list appeared to be alphabetical, as Roy was the second person to be called. Before he could raise his hand, Alexis was already making her way over to the tan-skinned boy, holding a few letters. She placed them on his desk, and as they gave out the rest of letters, he began reading them.

'Happy White Day!' read one letter. It was signed by Bonnie. _Guess she went through with her idea after all_ , he thought with a chuckle. Most of the other letters were not very interesting, but the last letter in his pile caught his eye.

'Dear Roy,' it started. 'You are like a fire. You burn brightly, sparking life into everyone. But you can also be destructive, stopping at nothing to achieve your goal. Yet, by your heat I become undone. I hope you can be mine someday, the boy I admire.' The poem was unsigned, but it was clear that whoever wrote it put a lot of time into it.

A strange warm tingled inside of Roy. _Who wrote this?_ Soon, though, a thought crawled into his head. It was a silly thought, but one not too far out there.

_Could it be him?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be homophobic, kids. You could ruin someone's life. Anyways, sorry for beating up another Rainbow Squid. Inigo, Alexis, Yuri (kind of), Bonnie, and now Roy. Geneva's going to get beat up later on, too, which doesn't help. But... I like drama. So, how do you feel about the Vigilante. I don't think it's that hard to guess his identity. Same goes for just where Geneva went for vacation, actually - there's plenty of hints on what she's doing throughout the story. Anyways, see you next week!


	52. Beholding the Crown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After one battle, the Vigilante suddenly enters Octavia's lobby. Will he live up to his image?

_Octavia's PoV_

"Woo!" Octavia cheered. "Only one more match before I can scrub this gear!"

"How you scrub the gear?" Yvonne asked her. By chance, the octoling ended up in her lobby, and the two ended up fighting against each other in the last match. Via ended up winning, but Yvonne did not seem fazed from the defeat.

"Oh, I don't scrub the gear myself," she replied. "I got to Murch for that."

"Murch?" Her head tilted in confusion.

"Yeah, that sea urchin that sits outside the tower," she elaborated. "For being a kid, he's surprisingly good at what he does."

"Ooh, sound fresh!" Her yellow eyes sparkled with a newfound determination. "Thank you, Via! I be check out now!" She started to walk out of the elevator when she bumped into a fair-skinned inkling wielding a Carbon Roller entering the room. "Sorry!" she apologized.

"Don't be," he said, adjusting his red-tinted shades. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"But Vigilante..." muttered a feminine voice behind him. A girl with short, indigo hair, fair skin, and red eyes popped out from behind him. "It's not your fault she didn't see you."

"Hey!" Yvonne complained, lowering her Hydra Splatling. Suddenly, she then cried out, "Wait, the _Vigilante_?!"

"Yeah, that's me," confirmed the inkling boy. "I'm just not wearing my normal stuff; that's all." Indeed, he was not wearing the hero costume shown in pictures. Instead, he wore, along with his tinted shades, a black anchor tee and the N-Pacer Ag.

"He's my boyfriend," proclaimed the other girl, wrapping her arms around one of his. "So he's not interested!"

"I was no interest in the Vigilante," the dark-skinned octoling pointed out. "I no trust him, actually."

"Why not? I'm trustworthy," he argued.

"That's what you say," the wavy-haired inkling mumbled. Louder, she asked, "Where's that roller you carry, then? All I see is a Carbon Roller."

"It's not approved for turf wars," he explained, "so I'm just using a Carbon Roller instead."

"I see..."

"I thinked you are the Vigilante!" Yvonne said in a bubbly tone, though her word choice suggested she felt otherwise. "You suppose to be the superfresh!"

"Even I am bound by the law of turf wars," he lamented. "As much as I would love to bring my superfresh roller here, I can't here."

Suddenly, a female voice chirped behind them, "Wait, is that the Vigilante?"

Octavia turned around to look at the source of the new voice—a girl about a year younger than her, with long yellow hair and medium-toned skin. "Yeah, you didn't see him walk in?" It took a few moments for her to remember that she had been on her team in the last match.

"But he looks so different from the pictures," the girl noted. "He's usually wearing a hero costume, and now, he's not. He was so much hotter, too..."

The boy's girlfriend must had heard her comment, as she immediately stepped up to her and put a finger on her nose. "Look, he's _my_ boyfriend, and he's perfect just the way he is!"

" _Shh..._ " The Vigilante wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back towards him, into a hug. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He planted a kiss on her head.

"How long have you two been dating?" asked another boy, one with purple hair styled into a sidecut and dark skin.

"Since last night," replied the girlfriend, putting a fair hand on her cheek. "I walked up to him, we stared at each other for a few moments, and then he asked if we could date. And I said yes, of course!"

As they conversed, the elevator door shut behind the couple, causing Yvonne to groan and grumble something in Octarian. The room began to descend further and further, until eventually, a grate opened up beneath them.

"Good luck," wished the Vigilante. He lowered his shades slightly, giving a wink before pushing them back up the bridge of his nose. Everyone proceeded to turn into a squid—an octopus in Yvonne's case—and swim towards their next destination. Soon, Octavia formed on top of a spawn point, and she found herself facing a skyline, decorated by the numerous advertisements and signs that populated Inkopolis. Moray Towers.

It wasn't long before everyone started racing off the platform. It turned out the Vigilante ended up on her team, as he immediately put his Carbon Roller to the ground and started pushing it down the ramp, leaving a trail of orange ink behind him. His girlfriend jumped off the spawn point as well, turning into a squid and following him via the trail he left behind. Octavia, meanwhile, started heading down towards the center of the stage, with someone else not too far behind.

"Yvonne!" she gasped upon reaching the level just above the lowest point of the stage. The dark-skinned octoling had started to charge up her Hydra Splatling as soon as she emerged, a determined smile on her face.

"I am Yvonne, right!" she confirmed. "I on your team."

"I see that." She smirked. "Your hair's orange."

"And my hat?" She bowed her head, bringing attention to her camping hat.

"It's also orange."

"Exactly!" The girl with pigtails let go of the charge on her splatling, and a flurry of bullets flew out of it, raining down on the ground. The boy with dark skin and a sidecut dodge-rolled across the area, successfully avoiding the barrage of orange ink. He tossed a point sensor at them, causing a black arrow to swirl around the two girls.

"Sorry Yvonne; it's up to you now." Via put the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau to the ground and started running down the ramp, taking a sharp turn towards the inkling boy at the bottom of it. However, with the point sensor marking her, he easily saw her coming. He shifted his attention from Yvonne to Octavia and pointed one of his Dualie Squelchers at her.

"Bold," he remarked. "I like that." The two started running towards each other, weapons in hand. Before the wavy-haired girl could swing her brush, he started firing, stopping her in her tracks and quickly splatting her. Just after her demise, an autobomb walked up behind him and exploded, splatting him as well.

Upon respawning, Via super-jumped to Yvonne and jumped right back down to the fray. Yet, no one was down there. The middle was almost completely orange, with specks of indigo ink dotting the area. The Vigilante was pushing his roller up a ramp, while his girlfriend ran behind him, holding a Splatterscope. The bronze-skinned inkling shrugged and placed a squid beakon near the ramp going up towards her team's base before following the other inklings.

As they headed up the ramps, a splat bomb suddenly dropped down on them. The group scattered in an attempt to avoid the bomb. Luckily, none of them splatted, though some indigo ink had splattered onto their clothes. The short-haired inkling looked up to the source of the bomb: an inkling girl with wavy hair and pale skin, carrying a Gold Dynamo Roller. She giggled and began to raise her roller, when suddenly, an orange beam pierced through her chest, splatting her with a scream.

"See that, Vigilante?" the Vigilante's girlfriend bragged. "I splatted her, just like that!"

"I did." He smiled. "Good job." He looked over at the ramp they were about to go up. "Let's keep going."

"Right!"

They continued running up the enemy tower, splatting anyone that came their way. Via even stopped to place another beakon along the way. Soon, they were at the platform just below the spawn point, with the short-haired girl splatting anyone who dared jump off it.

Yvonne caught up with them and asked, "This... I like no."

"Why not?" asked Octavia. "We're winning."

"It not fair. We splat the inklings when they spawn. There a word for it. But I no do know what."

"...Spawn-camping?"

"Yes, spawn-camping."

"Eh, it's not a big deal."

"I think it a big deal." She frowned. "I will pull back."

"Huh?" The wavy-haired inkling lowered her brush. "Yvonne-" Before she could finish her sentence, the dark-skinned octoling had already turned into an octopus, and a second or two later, she was flying down to the middle of the map, leaving a trail of orange ink behind her. "Ugh. She can be an idiot sometimes," she muttered to herself. "Can't she see this is working?"

"Ha ha!" the Vigilante's girlfriend laughed. "This is so much fun!" She sniped the enemies one at a time, with the boy with the ponytail finishing off as needed. Eventually, one slipped past them, dropping down to the level below.

"Hey, V-you," he started, turning to face Octavia. "Could you get that squid?" He paused. "Please?"

"Sure." She submerged herself in the ink and started swimming down the ramps in search for the runaway inkling. When she arrived at the next level, she quickly learned that the other team had slipped by their defenses... multiple times. The mostly-orange ground was streaked with indigo, all heading down towards the middle. "What...?" She looked over at her team's tower. Yvonne threw something, presumably an autobomb, before falling into the abyss and poofing into orange smoke. Standing where she once stood was another inkling with beige skin. He ran behind a box before making his way up the ramp, one powerful shot at a time. "I have to stop him!"

Octavia super-jumped to her used squid beakon and replaced it upon landing. From there, she pulled out the Tenta Missiles launcher and locked on to her target. With the press of a button, she fired some missiles and proceeded to run up the ramps with the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau to the ground. Eventually, she encountered the beige-skinned boy, who was firing his Tenta Brella as fast as he can. _Maybe I can try an ambush?_ She continued running, eventually coming face-to-face with his back. She started to swing her brush back and forth, hitting him in the back. He let out a surprised cry and turned around, but it was too late. He had splatted.

"Booyah!" she cheered. It was then the Vigilante dropped down to him. He scanned the area and frowned.

"They really did slip past our defenses," he noted, putting a hand on his chin. "Well, no matter." He held up his Carbon Roller, much like if he was holding up a sword, triumphantly. "As the Vigilante, I'll stop any no-do-gooders from getting in our way!" He turned into a squid and swam off.

"Wait for me!" his girlfriend called, swimming after him.

The bronze-skinned girl was about to follow them, when she remembered she had placed a squid beakon in the enemy base. She super-jumped over to it, only to be met by the boy with the Dualie Squelchers. She splatted instantly. Octavia respawned, jumped off the spawn point, and surveyed the area. Ever since their team had been taken out, the map was quite even. She heard the machine activate behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to see the boy with the ponytail respawn, shaking some orange ink off of him once he reformed. He started to swim back towards the middle.

"Wait, Vigilante!" she called. He reformed into a kid on top of the box and looked up at Octavia. "How much time do we have left?"

"Umm... I dunno." He shrugged. "Like, a minute thirty?"

"A minute thirty." She clapped. "That's more than enough time!" She and the Vigilante continued to swim down towards the middle, where there would certainly be someone waiting. A point sensor fell down on them, marking them both with the swirling black marker. The girl with medium skin and long hair from earlier dropped down on them, holding a Sploosh-o-matic in her hands. She pulled out a curling bomb and began to cook it, in which she proceeded to drop the bomb on the ground. It travelled a few inches before exploding in indigo ink. The two inklings fell back, and the boy with the ponytail lifted his Carbon Roller for a vertical swing. He scored a direct hit on her, splatting her instantly.

"Booyah!" they both cheered. They began running up the ramps again, and by the time they got up to the next level, they were met with the boy with the Tenta Brella again. He brought up the durable canopy, protecting him from enemy fire. The Vigilante submerged in the ink for a little bit before emerging and throwing out an autobomb at him. It did a little hop before waddling towards the Tenta Brella user, which forced him to drop to the level below, where he was splatted by a charged shot. On the other side, his girlfriend looked over at them and gave a thumbs-up.

"K, let's keep goin'," he commanded. The two continued running up the ramps, when a giant wave of ink suddenly crashed down on them both, splatting them. Upon respawning, they proceeded to super-jump—Octavia to Yvonne, the Vigilante to his girlfriend. They jumped back down, ready to fight again. So much ink flew across the battlefield, keeping the middle area contested. A minute passed, and a whistle blew, stopping them in their tracks.

"Did we win?" the girl with short hair asked.

"I don't know," Via admitted. "It looks pretty even."

Judd and Li'l Judd arrived on the bump in the road, surveying the area. They did a dance before the smaller cat struck out an indigo-colored flag, marking the other team as the winner.

"Bullhead!" Yvonne cried. "I thinked we would be the winning!"

"What happened, happened," the Vigilante said. "We'll win again next time!" He looked down at his girlfriend. "Right?"

"Right!" She leaped into his arms, and the two hugged.

"Aww... how sweet," Octavia beamed.

Everyone proceeded to super-jump back to Deca Tower, where they would view the statistics of the battle.

"Woo!" the long-haired girl cheered. "We won by 0.1%!"

"We losed by a 0.1%." the dark-skinned octoling echoed.

"Anyways, Imma head out." The bronze-skinned inkling started walking out of the lobby. "See ya!"

"Be waiting for me!" Yvonne called. "I am the leaving, too!"

The Vigilante chuckled. "Alright. But if you need a guy, y'know who to call."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to believe we're halfway through May not, isn't it? Anyways, here's a turf war chapter for ya! It's been a while since we've done one that's not a Splatfest. There's not much to see in this chapter, but prepare yourselves for next week - there's a ton of important information in the next chapter, specifically pertaining to two specific characters... Who? Wait until next week to find out! Oh, and one more thing I forgot to add that's not in the fanfiction.net note - did you know it was originally Oscar and Yvonne that battled with the Vigilante? I originally wanted to make a separate comic for that, but I ditched the idea. So, I replaced Oscar with Octavia, and bam, a chapter where Octavia and Yvonne battle with the Vigilante. With that out of the way, see you next week!


	53. The Cowardly Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding out the Vigilante had broken up with his girlfriend, Yuri challenges him to a battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: past abusive relationship.

_Yuri's PoV_

"Chicken vs. Egg," Roy stated with a sigh. "I swear, these themes are getting more and more ridiculous. Besides, the chicken laid the egg first."

"No, the egg obviously came first," Octavia argued. "It's like how Marina reasoned—you need a chicken to lay an egg, and the chicken came from the egg."

"Whatever, it's a Splatfest," Perry said with a shrug. Much like the boy with hair swept to the side, he wore a white tee that denotated him as part of Team Chicken.

"It's the fun that counts," Yuri reminded them, winking. He himself had chosen Team Egg, like the other Rainbow Squids had done.

"Speaking of fun, where's Inigo?" Bonnie asked. "I thought he would battle with us."

"I dunno." Yuri rose from his chair and started stretching. "Let's hope he comes."

"Well, we can't just sit here," Roy noted. "I wanna get out there."

"Yeah!" Alexis agreed.

"How about we wait?" Bonnie suggested.

"Superfresh idea," the spiky-haired boy commented. "By the tower?"

"By the tower," she confirmed.

"Alright, we'll go to the tower. Maybe get our weapons, too," Roy announced.

Since they were in agreement, the Rainbow Squids started to walk over to the Deca Tower. Yuri pulled his phone out and started texting in the group chat their plans, mainly for Inigo's sake. After the message was sent, he then sent a quick text, asking what team the boy with the ponytail was on. He put his phone away and bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry, I-" he immediately started to apologize. He stopped himself when he saw who exactly he had walked into. "Asher?"

The green-haired inkling gave a frantic nod. "I have to get out of here."

"Wait, why?" he tried to ask, but the young adult was already trying to rush pass him.

"I saw her; I-I can't let her see me," he replied in a panic.

"Who?" Roy asked.

He gestured for the group to follow him, and they ended up outside of the Grizzco building. He slumped against the graffiti-covered wall and sat down, knees tucked near his chest. He started fidgeting with the wristband that came with the Splatfest and muttered some self-encouragement before speaking louder, green eyes facing the younger inklings.

"Tiffany," Asher started to explain. Yuri heard a sharp inhale from beside him. His yellow eyes drifted over to find Roy, his mouth hanging open. "She's my ex-girlfriend. She's horrible, just horrible." He bit his lip. "She tries to get into your head, m-make you feel like you're nothing." He gulped. "I don't want anyone to feel t-that way. I don't know what she's planning, but it can't be good."

"That's..." Yuri frowned. "That's horrible." _How could someone do something like that?_

"It is," agreed the green-haired inkling. "She's haunted my dreams for years. Just when I thought I could move on, _she_ comes back. She's gonna find me, and then this nightmare will start up all over again."

"I hope she didn't see you," Bonnie wished. "I know what it feels like to have no way to escape."

"But your parents changed," Octavia noted before returning her attention to Asher. "Why can't this girl?"

"You don't understand," he cried. "She won't change. She wants to hurt you." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Just... s-stay away from her. Please!"

"Aight, aight, man." Perry kneeled down and gave a thumbs up. "We got this."

"How do we 'got this' if we don't even know what she looks like?" Via pointed out.

"We could just avoid everyone named Tiffany," Bonnie suggested.

"Oh, but one of my classmates is named Tiffany!" the spiky-haired inkling protested.

"It was a joke," she said rather flatly.

"I don't want to remember what she looks like," Asher muttered. "B-But, if you see a red-haired lady about my age, I bet that's her. Stay away."

"If you're not too keen on having this 'Tiffany' see you, then you'd best scram," Roy noted, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, I should." The green-haired inkling rose to his feet, adjusting his ponytail a little bit. "See you later." The Rainbow Squids said goodbye as he walked away, deeper into the city.

After Asher had left, Yuri turned to the tan-skinned boy and asked, "Any updates from Inigo?"

He pulled out his cellphone, and disappointment fell upon his features. "He said he's busy."

" _Again?!_ " Alexis cried out. "What is _up_ with him lately?"

"I don't know, but we have a Splatfest to get to!" the dark-skinned inkling chirped. He patted the young inkling on the head before starting to walk towards the Deca Tower once more. "Woo! Let's go!"

The group entered the tower and started to head towards the interface that allowed them to access the room their weapons were stored in, like they had planned to after Inigo had or had not shown up. Roy entered in some information, and the plates shifted to reveal the stairs leading them to their secret room. Using his phone as a flashlight, Yuri searched for his Heavy Splatling Deco, which it did not take long for him to find. He hugged it for a few moments before letting it relax at his side.

"Hey..." Perry started. "Where's Inigo's roller?"

Yuri waved his phone around to find that his friend was right. "Shoot, yeah, it's gone."

"Did Inigo finally score a lady?" the pale-skinned boy joked. "Maybe he's showin' her his Carbon Roller." A few of them chuckled.

Roy's red eyes scanned the room and announced, "Well, we're ready." He started walking up the steps, Luna Blaster in hand. "Let's go."

"Yeah!"

They emerged from the private room, out into the crowded open. Roy and Perry departed into one of the lobbies, ready to face off against the opposing team, and the other squids were about to depart, too, when Bonnie told them to stop.

"Listen," she requested. They went silent, trying to listen to the noise around them. Yuri couldn't hear much else other than the idle chatter of inklings, but faintly, he heard...

"Is that... crying?" Via asked.

"Sounds like it," Alexis agreed.

They peeked around one elevator to find a short-haired girl with fair skin and teary, red eyes. She donned a yellow t-shirt marking her as a member of Team Egg. She clutched a canvas in her hands, and a Splatterscope was at her feet.

"Hello?" the beige-skinned girl greeted, kneeling down to meet her at eye level. "You OK?"

"No," the girl sobbed. "The V-Vigilante broke up with meeee."

Octavia stepped beside Bon-Bon. "Oh, I know you." She blinked, surprised. "Just a couple of days ago, you wouldn't leave his side."

The girl lifted her head to look up at the wavy-haired one. "Yeah, you're right," she confirmed with a sniff. "I-I made this painting of him." She turned the canvas around, displaying a detailed painting featuring the Vigilante in a hero costume and his fresh roller. "I was gonna give it to him last night, b-but then..." She let out another sob. "Oh, it's horrible! So nonchalant he was, breaking up with me like that!"

"He broke a girl's heart?" Yuri tightened the grip on his splatling. "Alright, this guy needs a lesson on respect."

"H-He's over there, if you want him." The girl lifted a quivering finger towards an inkling boy with white-colored hair tied up into a ponytail, marking him a member of Team Chicken. Several girls surrounded him, trying to touch him. With a blush on his face, he took a pen from one of the girls and signed her arm.

"Hey, Vigilante!" the dark-skinned boy yelled. The fair-skinned inkling snapped his attention over to him and stumbled over to him, the girls letting go of him.

"Yes?" he queried.

"You..." He pointed a finger at him, but soon, he lost his words. What was he supposed to say without being awkward? The Vigilante remained silent at this whole ordeal, keeping a charismatic smile. "You will battle me!" He ran over and grabbed the fair-skinned girl, who let out a squeak, before running back to the boy with the ponytail. "And, uh..."

"Leah," she said. "Remember me?"

"Yeah, I do," he replied. "I remember a lot of girls." He smirked, putting the wheel of his Carbon Roller to the ground. "And yeah, I'll battle you."

"Can we battle with you, Vigilante?" one of his fangirls asked. Surrounding her were two other inkling girls.

"Of course." He lowered his tinted shades and winked, and the girl who had just spoke swooned, putting her hands on her chest.

"So, that's that, then," Yuri muttered. He looked over his shoulder, towards his friends, and asked, "You squids wanna join?"

"We'll join," Via announced, stepping up with Bonnie.

"Yeah, and I'll go find my own battle." Shoulders slumped, Alexis lumbered away, into one of the many elevators.

 _That was easy,_ he remarked silently. "The teams are set," the spiky-haired boy announced. "It's battle time!"

"Battle time..." started Leah, "...and revenge time."

The group walked into an empty elevator, and after everyone had entered, the door closed behind them, and it began to descend. With a hiss, it stopped, and the grate opened up beneath them. They turned into squids, slipping through the grate, towards their next destination. It did not take very long before Yuri emerged from a spawn point, facing some sort of shipyard. This stage happened to be one of his favorites—Sturgeon Shipyard.

It didn't take long before his team started inking their side with golden ink. Octavia launched herself off of the spawn point, speeding through the base with the bristles of her brush to the ground. Bonnie and Leah started inking paths to the various perches around the map, while Yuri focused on inking everything left over with his splatling. One couldn't win a turf war without a well-inked base, after all.

The first person to breech their base was one of the fangirls, who carried a standard Octobrush. Some golden ink had splattered onto her white shirt, suggesting that she had just come out of a fight. She stopped in the middle of the area, holding the brush under one arm while she messed with her short hair. The dark-skinned boy threw a splash wall in front of him and started charging up his Heavy Splatling Deco. The girl then noticed him and started running towards him, but before he could release a charge, a beam from his left pierced her side, splatting her. He looked over to see that Bon-Bon had fired a fully-charged shot from her Classic Squiffer. When their eyes met, she simply smiled.

"You saved me there, Bon-Bon!" Yuri complimented.

"You could have handled it yourself," she pointed out. "You had the splash wall and everything."

"Yeah, but you splatted her before my charge was even ready—so I can use this to ink turf instead!"

"I guess you have a point." Bonnie looked out in the distance. "I think it's safe to go ahead. Let's go."

The beige-skinned girl submerged in the golden ink to swim ahead, while Yuri ran up the hill, a charged splatling in his hands. He arrived on the centermost hill and released his charge, spreading many bullets of ink across the land. Once it was over, his hair started to glow, signifying that his special weapon was ready. He pulled out Bubble Blower and swung the wand, creating a bubble of golden ink. He started to swing it again, but something pierced him in his side, splatting him before he could create the second bubble successfully.

He respawned, a little disappoint. _It's OK,_ he told himself. _Being splatted during the special happens sometimes._ He super-jumped to Leah, who stood on the slow-spinning platform. It was tilted vertically right now, creating a useful vantage point. The red-eyed girl shot the lone bubble Yuri had created, causing it to burst in an explosion of ink. He heard a girl cry out, and beyond where the bubble had been, a white squid-shaped ghost floated off.

"Get off," she grumbled, pushing Yuri off the platform, onto the bridge. He nearly lost his grip on his Heavy Splatling Deco, but other than that, he was physically OK, though he had been a little wounded by Leah's dismissiveness. He rose to his feet, scanning the area quickly with his yellow eyes. He noticed the Vigilante advancing, the wheel of his Carbon Roller to the ground. Yuri backed up towards the edge of the platform, charging up his splatling again. The boy with the ponytail seemed to had noticed him, as he made a sharp turn to come up the bridge. He lifted the roller and jumped into the air, swinging it to create a thin wave of ink. It covered half of the dark-skinned boy with white ink, leaving him very close to death. He released the splatling's charge, pelting the boy in the torso with gold-colored ink, splatting him. However, it was not before the Vigilante got in another vertical swing, splatting Yuri as well.

He respawned to see that the opposing team had advanced quite a bit. Another girl from the opposing team paced around the lower area, spreading white ink everywhere with her N-ZAP '89. She suddenly pulled out some Tenta Missiles, looking around for a bit. Right as she fired them, another beam pierced through her, splatting her. Up on the red grates was Leah, her back up against the wall. A white marker surrounded her feet, and she looked up to find some missiles raining down on her. She turned into a squid to slip through the grate in an attempt to avoid them, but it was no use. One missile crashed into her head, splatting her.

When Leah respawned, she rubbed her head, saying nothing as she ran towards another perch again. Yuri stepped off the spawn point and started charging up his splatling again. His focus? Reclaiming turf. That was the point of a turf war, after all. And right now, Team Egg was losing. From the left side of the stage, where the middlemost area dropped off to access the main area on his team's base, a squid with a stored charge dropped in, a glow marking her position. She transformed back into a kid, revealing her weapon to be a Firefin Splat Charger. She patrolled the area, charge in hand. Someone else super-jumped to her, who just happened to be the Vigilante. She gasped upon sight of him, causing her to fire a poorly-aimed shot towards the ground.

"Oh, Vigilante," she swooned. "You super-jumped to me! Are you gonna protect me from Team Egg?"

"Mhm," he replied, nodding. "Team Chicken will win; I'm sure of it."

The Vigilante started running up a ramp towards the spawn, holding his Carbon Roller like a sword. Multiple vertical swings helped to create a path for himself, allowing him to swim his way up to them. Hiding behind a wall, Yuri charged up his Heavy Splatling Deco, which would help with stealth. He started to fire at the fair-skinned boy, peeking out from behind the wall. At sight of this, the Vigilante retreated, dropping down next to the girl with the charger. Little did he know, someone was waiting. Bonnie dropped down from behind them and released a shot from her Classic Squiffer, splatting them both.

"Booyah!" everyone cheered. Octavia joined the inkling with the double bun, some ink dripping off of her bronze skin. She stepped past her and cleared her throat to speak.

"I placed some squid beakons in the enemy base," Via announced. "I don't think they've noticed yet, so this is the perfect chance to regain a victory."

"You're the only offensive player here," Leah argued, sitting down on the grate. "The rest of us are defensive. We'll have to push into their base if we want to win."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yuri asked, joining them. "Let's go!"

They started to reclaim their base, but before they could move in any further, the Vigilante appeared once more from the right side.

"Dang, they're fast," the wavy-haired girl remarked. "I got this." She started running towards him, bristles to the ground. Once she was in range, she started to attack him. With one swing of her Octobrush Nouveau, the weapon collided with the side of the Vigilante's head, and his tinted shades were knocked right off. The red shades skipped across the floor, eventually coming to a halt a few feet away from the edge of the map. The fair-skinned boy stood, dumbfounded, his neck craned to the side. Octavia had stopped attacking, instead diving into the golden ink and swimming away.

"Oh my cod!" one of the girls on his team squealed. "I gotta see his face!"

"No way!" exclaimed another girl. "Lemme see!"

"No, let _me_ see!" the third girl on his team pushed the girl with the charger out of the way and started running towards the Vigilante. Fearing what would happen, Yuri started running to another vantage point while charging up his Heavy Splatling Deco. Once she was in range, he released the charge and splatted her. Some golden ink splattered onto the boy with the ponytail's back.

The Vigilante regained his senses and felt his face. He mouthed something before swinging his roller vertically, creating a path, and swimming over to where his tinted shades laid. He emerged from the path and fell to his knees, dropping the Carbon Roller, and he picked up the glasses. He stood up with a smile, grabbing the roller along the way, but his smile fell when he noticed a golden beam pointing at him.

Standing from a perch was Leah, aiming her Splatterscope at him. "So," she started, "you care about your glasses more than women?"

"Y-You don't understand," he stuttered. "I-I can't let anyone see m-my face."

"Well, now I see your face," she fired back. "And I know who you are."

"N-No you don't!"

"Stop lying," she snapped. "I've seen you at school, hitting on girls, hanging out with your _real_ friends." She scowled. "Why aren't you with them right now? Too caught up in this?"

"Uh, Leah," Bonnie started, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay out of this!" she demanded, pushing the beige-skinned girl back. Bon-Bon let out a squeak, and the Vigilante flinched at the action. He remained silent at her questions, his mouth hanging open. "Answer me," she demanded.

"I-I..." he stuttered.

"Figures. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't splat you."

"I can give a few. One, so I can put these shades back on. Two, I know you won't expose me, regardless of what you do. Three, I don't think you have the heart to do so."

"You failed."

"Wh-" Leah fired her Splatterscope, piercing the boy in the chest. His possessions fell to the ground as he splatted into a puddle of golden ink, and they soon disappeared. Yuri presumed he would respawn with his tinted shades on, but he couldn't bet on it. The battle only got wilder, with all three girls constantly arguing over who, out of them, was better. The girl with the Octobrush elbowed the girl with the Firefin Splat Charger, stunning her, and with the force of the brush, she pushed her into the abyss. She proceeded to put her bristles to the ground and run up to Leah, who simply splatted her once she got into range.

The match ended not long after the whole ordeal, and everyone stopped inking turf. Octavia emerged from the ink and sat on one of the platforms, digging her hands into her cheeks.

"Ughh, we definitely lost," she whined. "And the Vigilante..."

"What about him?" Yuri asked, joining Via.

"I think I know who he is," she responded. "I'm not sure, but if I'm right, then it's not good."

"Who?"

She leaned over to him and whispered a name into his ear. "No. You're not serious," he whispered in disbelief, yellow eyes widening.

"I am," she countered. "I saw him up close. And it makes sense. Why he only has five tentacles and not six, why he's especially desperate to hide himself from us, and why Inigo's been gone lately."

"Now that I think about it... they sound identical, too." Yuri shook his head. "Well, if you're right, then we need to put some sense into him."

"Nah, that's Roy's job."

She giggled. "Yeah, that's true." A mischievous smile tugged at her lips. "But Roy doesn't know yet, so he can't."

Before they could continue their conversation any further, Judd and Li'l Judd made their appearance, doing their dance before the latter proceeded to strike out a white flag, marking the other team as the victors. Octavia and Yuri looked at each other and shrugged, and they proceeded to super-jump back to the tower. Judging by the map, Team Chicken did outdo Team Egg by quite a bit, but the imbalance was not as bad as Yuri thought. Some golden ink spotted the enemy base, presumably from Via's presence.

"W-Well, I have to go," the Vigilante announced. He started to step out the elevator. "Bye!" Before he could leave, however, Leah got out her painting and threw it at him. "Ow," he hissed, rubbing his back. He turned around and picked up the canvas. "Huh?"

"Take it, Ivan," she commanded. "I don't want it."

"My name's not..." He shook his head. "Never mind. Thank you." Leah did not respond. Gripping the painting in one hand and his Carbon Roller in another, he finally left.

"Let's go find Alexis," Octavia suggested afterwards. "We need to team up with her again."

"Right," Bonnie agreed. Yuri nodded as well, and they exited the elevator. It did not take long before they found the younger inkling. Alexis was hiding behind the elevator next to the one they just came out of.

"Al-" the wavy-haired girl started.

"Shh..." she shushed them. She gestured for them to join her, and pointed at the Vigilante, who was talking to a lady with red, long hair. Judging by the fact that she wore a sweater and not a t-shirt, this inkling was not taking part in the Splatfest.

"Is that Tiffany?" Yuri whispered.

Alexis nodded. "I think so."

They remained silent and started to listen in to the conversation the Vigilante and Tiffany were having.

"...think they found you out?" the lady questioned. The boy with the ponytail nodded.

"One of my exes called me Ivan. _Ivan_ ," he added.

"Don't worry," she told him. "No one will find out. If someone did, then you're just doing a lousy job."

"I'm not doing a lousy job. I'm doing great!"

"Are you sure about that?" Tiffany questioned.

"I..." He lowered his head. "No..."

She flashed a smile before continuing. "Hey, with this Splatfest going on... I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"The sister of a friend..."

"I hope she's not referring to Asher and Geneva..." Bonnie whimpered.

"She better not," Octavia whispered.

"Asher said to stay away," the girl with the double bun reminded in a low voice. "So don't go charging after her, please."

"...she look like?" the Vigilante asked.

"It's been a few years since I last saw her, but she should be around your age. Green hair, green eyes." She put her hands together. "Please, tell me if you see her. It's very important."

He blinked, surprised at her request, but then he smiled. "Alright. I will."

"Thank you." The two shook hands, and they parted ways.

"Shoot," Octavia swore. "She really is looking for Geneva."

"Good thing she's on vacation," Yuri assured, "or else we'd be in real big trouble."

"Still..." Alexis muttered. "I have a very bad feeling about this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we've learned Tiffany's motives. See, I told you not to trust her! Anyways... is Octavia's theory correct? Well, you'll find out next chapter. I'm sorry this is a little late, but it's still relatively on time, right?
> 
> Regarding the comment on the Vigilante only having five tentacles - he IS hiding one of them. You can check out the comparison between Inigo and the Vigilante here: https://i.imgur.com/EG0JwM6.png


	54. Without the Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Giovanni, the New Squidbeak Splatoon can finally track down the Vigilante and take back the Hero Roller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few lines from Callie and Marie are taken directly from the game.

_Alexis's PoV_

While the Rainbow Squids, albeit Inigo, who was absent once more, were chatting, a pile of papers was suddenly dropped on their table. Their eyes drifted up towards the source—a familiar green-haired octoling, standing alongside his friends.

"Here," announced Giovanni. "My research."

Roy picked them up and started reading through it. "Huh. You're better at Inkling than I thought."

"Most of us, Octa Prisma, can write your language decently," he pointed out.

"Speaking Inkling?" Oscar questioned before shaking his head. "It is not the well." He quickly put a hand behind his head, blushing. "I am wishing I do, though. It be a dream of I."

"I am almost fluent in it," Brayden mused. "I have been interacting with your kind much longer than they have."

"Contractions be the confuse of us," Yvonne admitted.

"Contractions aren't _that_ hard," Perry said. "You just smash two words together and bam, contraction."

"So..." The yellow-haired octoling smiled. "Hel'ere?"

"That's... not a word," Bonnie pointed out.

"A for effort, though," Yuri encouraged with a thumbs-up.

"Anyways..." After Roy had put them down, Alexis slid the pile of papers towards her. "I'm taking this."

"What?" Gio gasped. "Why? I work hard on the research!"

"It's for... my friends," she explained carefully. Perry opened his mouth to elaborate, but the short-haired girl put a finger over her mouth, reminding him to be quiet about his encounter with she, Callie, and Marie a few weeks ago.

"The friends of you; they are here," Iris pointed out, gesturing towards the Rainbow Squids.

"I have other friends," she argued.

"Can't we at least read them?" Octavia asked.

"It's urgent!" Alexis argued, her brow furrowing. _I wish I could tell them the truth, but I can't!_

"If Alexis wants the papers, then it being more...uh...good, for Giovanni to do summary," the indigo-haired octoling countered. "We no argue this for long."

"A summary... I can do a summary," the green-haired boy agreed, putting a hand on his chin.

"Great, thanks." Alexis immediately picked up the papers and walked towards the manhole that would lead her to Octo Canyon, where Callie and Marie were presumably waiting. She slipped through the grate, and she popped out in the grassy area, donning the familiar hero suit. The Squid Sisters sat on a bench next to the shack, talking. Marie donned her kimono, while Callie donned her casual wear, minus the sunglasses. When they noticed her arrival, both of them waved.

"Hey, Four!" Callie greeted. After her peppy greeting, however, her shoulders fell, nervous. Her starry eyes glanced at her cousin for a second before returning their attention to the short-haired girl's orange eyes. "So, uh... remember how I tried to kill you?"

"Yeah, I remember." After the fight with DJ Octavio, no one really brought it up. Though, to be fair, this was the first time she had a casual conversation with the black-haired idol. Every other time had been business-related.

"Yeah... Sorry about that. I know I should had brought up sooner, but I just kept forgetting..." She smiled. "But I'm back on the up and up! Promise! In any case..." She stood up and pointed a finger towards the sky. "The Squid Sisters and the New Squidbeak Splatoon are ready to roll!"

"And you know the deal with me," started Marie. "I gotta hang out here until Gramps and Agent 3 come back from...whatever it is they're doing." She let out a sigh. "Seriously, where did Gramps wander off to..."

Callie gasped and sat right back down, crossing her legs. "Oh! That reminds me. Marie told me all sorts of wild stuff about you, Agent 4!"

"...What?" the orange-haired inkling questioned.

"She's been tracking your every move and logging it in her Agent 4 Factopedia! It's totally not creepy!" she replied.

While Marie remained speechless, Agent 4 remarked, "...Yeah, it's creepy." _I hope Gio doesn't have an 'Alexis Factopedia' somewhere._

Callie picked a green-and-orange notebook and opened it, beginning, "According to Marie's Agent 4 Factopedia..." She looked down at the first page and bubbled, "Guess which weapon you've been using the most lately, Agent 4! It's the Hero Dualies! ...Which isn't very surprising, I'll admit. But just like Sheldon told me, 'The better you get to know a weapon, the better it will get to know you!'"

"Yup, that sounds like Sheldon," Marie agreed.

"Anyways." She closed the notebook and set it down. "We got a bigger task at hand."

"Yeah, the Vigilante." The grey-haired inkling eyed the papers Alexis held. "What are those for?"

"Remember how I told you Giovanni was stalking the Vigilante to see what he can learn? Well, he came with these papers today, and he let me bring them to you," she explained.

"Huh, I guess octolings can do some good every once and a while," she commented. The Squid Sisters took them and began reading them over.

"Oh, he uses a Carbon Roller in turf wars!" Callie chirped. "Just like-"

"You'd might want to keep quiet," Marie interrupted her cousin. "We don't want to leak too much of Agent 3's personal life."

"Agent 3's personal life?" Alexis asked. She had always thought of the missing agent as this unstoppable force that she forgot that she was an inkling, just like her, too.

"Yeah, she came to Octo Valley to vent all the time," the black-haired inkling replied. "We weren't there all the time, but Gramps and Octavio do make for pretty good listeners."

"It was like a boke and tsukkomi routine every time I went there," the other idol added.

"So, anyways, about the Vigilante..." the bronze-skinned girl started again.

"Well, these papers say he's usually seen in the alleyway past the Grizzco building," Callie informed. "I bet that if we hide out there, we can ambush him and get the new Hero Roller back!"

"I've prepared a bunch of low-tide ink for this," continued Marie. "We _don't_ want to splat him on accident."

"Yeah, that would be bad," she agreed.

"We also found a bunch of armor. There're no spawn points anywhere around there, if memory serves. We have to be careful."

Callie tossed two black suitcases at Alexis. "Put these on while we change. We'll be right back out!" The two idols disappeared into the shack, leaving the short-haired girl at her lonesome. She opened one suitcase and immediately, she was equipped with a helmet and padded clothing. She then opened the second suitcase, which added a visor and extra padding to her armor.

"You're fighting another inkling, now?" someone behind her commented. She turned around to find DJ Octavio, sitting in his snow globe. "You splat-forsaken Squidbeak Splatoon are hypocrites, I tell ya!"

"Oh, shut up," she groaned. "We fight other squids in turf war all the time. Plus, we're not even trying to splat him."

"Whatever," he grumbled, crossing his muscular tentacles.

Callie and Marie emerged from the shack, wearing identical armored hero suits, though the former wore some shades, while the latter wore a white face mask. "We're back!" the black-haired idol announced.

"It's been a while since we wore these, hasn't it?" the grey-haired idol mused.

"Feels just like yesterday, right?"

"Eh... Anyways..." She lifted three tanks of lime green ink onto the bench. "Change your ink color to match mine, and we'll be on our way."

"Aw, but I like pink better," Callie muttered. "Oh, well." The ends of her tentacles turned lime green as she picked up one ink tank and slung it around her arms. She picked up the original Hero Roller, the wheel becoming slick with ink. Alexis also changed her ink color to match Marie's and picked up another ink tank, just like Callie had done. She spun one of her dualies in her hand as she waited for Marie to gather her belongings.

"Alright," announced the grey-haired inkling, holding the Hero Charger in her hands. "Let's go."

The three squids slipped through the manhole, arriving in Inkopolis Square seconds later, fully equipped. Some inklings gave them odd looks as they walked towards the alleyway, past Grizzco's. Callie directed them using a map that was included with Gio's research, and soon, they arrived in an alleyway. Clotheslines hung above them, and trash cans were lined up against the wall. Litter and graffiti decorated the corridor, making its danger clear. Callie and Alexis used the trash cans as cover, while Marie climbed up to a ledge, turning into a squid to make herself seem less visible. Now, all they had to do was wait for the Vigilante's arrival in silence.

It was not until sunset that a figure dropped down into the alley, balancing on a far-away ledge. The Vigilante. His red hair glistened in the sunlight, alongside the red wheel of the Hero Roller. A smirk lined his face as he did a few bounces, his stance telling that he was eager to act. Above Alexis, Marie reformed, stretching from the hours of idleness. She kneeled down and charged up her charger. She pointed it at the ground until the Vigilante started to stroll deeper into the alley. Then, she suddenly shot up and fired at his roller. He maintained a tight grip on it, flying back a few feet at the impact.

"Who's there?" he demanded. "The Vigilante will make you pay, no-good-doer!" The grey-haired inkling gestured for her allies to act, and Callie and Alexis jumped out at him. "Woah!" The latter fired at his chest, the ink sliding off of the hero jacket replica. He growled in pain, even though he seemed unharmed so far. Callie launched herself at him, Hero Roller in hand, but he simply pushed her back with the swing of his own roller. The wheels collided, sending the two back.

"Give us your weapon!" the black-haired inkling commanded.

"Why?" he asked. "I'm not handing this over."

"It's stolen property," the short-haired girl explained. "And Sheldon's offering a big reward for its return."

"And all signs are pointing to you as the thief," Marie added.

The Vigilante looked up at her, and he let out another growl. "So that's where that shot came from... No matter!" He stomped a foot on the pavement. "I'm not a thief; someone gave this to me! It was a gift!"

"Where's your proof?" Agent 4 snapped.

"Proof?" he retorted. "How am I supposed to give you proof? My words are proof!"

"Proof or not, you need to hand the roller over," Callie demanded. "Or we'll make you."

"In the name of...justice!" the young inkling added.

"Well, if you want this roller, you'll have to get through me, first!" He swung his roller at the black-haired lady's stomach, breaking one layer of armor and sending her back a few feet. While Callie crashed into the wall, he swung it again at Alexis's helmet, causing her to fall on the ground, landing on her butt. One layer of armor had broken, and a dull pain throbbed where the wheel had collided with her body. The Hero Roller was a dangerous weapon, and these swift attacks only rectified that claim.

"Ow!" Callie cried, gripping her gut. "That hurt!" She jumped to her feet and dashed towards him, knocking her roller into his. The two continued to fight, weapons constantly slamming into each other. Alexis got up and inked his feet, causing him to get stuck in the enemy ink. Callie slammed her roller into his once more, and the Vigilante fell off balance. Marie followed up with a charged shot that collided with his tinted shades, knocking them off. A thud sounded as he fell on his back, his body held down by the stolen weapon's weight.

Agent 4 walked up to him and put a boot on his chest, pinning him down. "Give it, now," she demanded, pointing a dualie at his head. Thankfully, he did not dare turn into a squid and try to escape. They had subdued him, and hopefully, he would give the roller back. The Vigilante's black hair tie had become loose, a smaller, sixth tentacle poking out from the bottom of it. His breathing was rapid, betraying his previously-confident demeanor. He even seemed to be muttering something to himself, something she couldn't clearly hear. At last, she looked him straight in the eye, her determined orange eyes meeting... scared, indigo ones.

She lowered her gun as recognition set in. _Inigo?_ she perplexed. He's _the Vigilante?_

"Oh, him," Agent 2 realized. "This just got a lot more complicated."

"Mhm," Agent 1 agreed. "I'd hate for this to leak out..."

He gulped. "P-Please don't kill me," he pleaded. He opened his fist, freeing the roller from his grasp. The black-haired inkling walked over to him and picked it up, now having two rollers in her hands.

"We'll be taking this," she announced with a straight face.

"Fine, take it!" Inigo cried. "Just please, _please_ don't kill me!"

"Calm down! We weren't even trying to kill you in the first place." She winked. "Promise!"

"Anyways, we're taking this back to Sheldon," Agent 4 informed him, pointing a second dualie at the new Hero Roller. "Don't try anything funny."

"I won't, I won't," fretted the boy with the ponytail, shaking his head. "I'm not dumb."

The group stared at him for a few more seconds before beginning to walk past him, back towards Ammo Knights, leaving the Vigilante alone in the alleyway, now powerless. At least they obtained what they were looking for. When they stepped into the weapon shop, Sheldon squealed upon seeing the Hero Roller.

"Yess! You got my baby back!" the horseshoe crab cheered. "Thank you, _thank you_ so much! I knew I could count on you!"

"Any time, Sheldon." Alexis smiled. "Any time."

Yet, her smile was not genuine. It quickly fell as the weight of what had just happened fell on her. Inigo was the Vigilante. The Vigilante was working with Tiffany, the lady Asher had warned against so much. ... _Inigo_ was working with Tiffany. And he had been the only member of the Rainbow Squids not to hear Asher's spiel.

To her, it seemed that her friend was going down a long, dark path, dancing with the devilfish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! Poor Inigo... Even if Alexis knows that he's the Vigilante, and Octavia and Yuri both suspect that he is, he can't reveal his secret identity to the public. Anyways, that brings an end to this arc, but don't expect the Vigilante and Tiffany to go away just yet... They'll be around for another season or two. Next week's chapter should be a breather, and the week after that... well, it'll be the two-part finale of Season 2! And, the day after part two of the finale is released, another bonus story will be released. That's right, we'll have two bonus stories between seasons 2 and 3, which should serve as character development and reveal some backstory for the POV characters each story focuses on. I've been on the fence on whenever to have one or two bonus stories for a while now, and this past week, I finally decided on having two stories. Make sure to stay tuned for what's to come!


	55. An Octopus of Many Talents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie finds out that Iris will be participating in the school talent show.

_Bonnie's PoV_

"Isn't this so exciting?" Octavia asked her blue-haired friend. Her hands were pressed against the poster that was framing every wall of West Inkopolis High School as of late. "The talent show's tomorrow night!"

"Eh..." she muttered. "Nothing exciting usually happens in those."

"You're squiddin', right?" she perplexed. "There's a lot of interesting stuff that happens! Remember those magic tricks that jellyfish and his shrimp friend did last year? Oh! Or what about that turf war skit from freshman year? Or Victor's juggling acts?"

"Name one crustacean that doesn't juggle," Bonnie challenged, crossing her arms.

"Uh... that crab who lifted a basking shark last year?"

"OK, fair point. But Via, we go to these every year."

"We go to the musical every year."

"But those are actually entertaining. A talent show is a mixed bag." Suddenly, Bonnie felt something brush her back, and she jumped. She turned around to see a piece of paper, floating down to the ground. She snatched it and read it out loud. "'Support Iris Thaumo at the West Inkopolis Talent Show. Or else.'" She lowered it. "Huh. I never thought of Iris as someone to be in talent shows."

"I don't know..." the orange-haired girl admitted. "This is Gio's right-hand lady we're talking about. I'm not sure if we should go."

"The 'or else' sounds a little threatening..."

"It's an empty threat. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She sends a hitman after us?"

"You're overthinking this. Besides, where is she gonna find a hitman?"

Bonnie sighed. "...You're still gonna go, right?"

"Yeah, of course! Are you?"

"Yeah."

Octavia wrapped an arm around Bon-Bon, pulling her closer to her side. "Great!"

Later, just as school ended, the girl with the double bun noticed Iris climbing into an unfamiliar car that was decorated with various graffiti.

"Wait, Iris!" she called, darting over to the octoling. The indigo-haired girl paused, and her eyes drifted over to meet hers. Out of breath, she asked, "Good... luck... on the... talent... show...!"

Instead of some rude remark, the octoling smiled. "Thank you." She sat down in the car seat and buckled up. "Will you come?"

"You're welcome," she said. "And yeah, I'm coming!"

Bonnie stood in place, waiting for the car to leave, but it remained. "So?" Iris started, eyes narrowing. "Go inside."

"Wait, you want me to come with you?" she asked for clarification. The other girl nodded. "Oh..." The blue-haired inkling pulled out her phone. "Let me text my mom first." After a quick text message, she climbed into the back of the car. Brayden was the driver, tan hands on the wheel. They began conversing in another language, much to Bonnie's irritation. She sighed and leaned back in the cushions. She watched the trees fly by as they drove to their next destination, wherever that was.

"Bonnie," Brayden spoke up. "I heard the Vigilante disappeared."

"You're not wrong," she confirmed. "He _did_ disappear a few days ago." She smiled. "We got Inigo back, though. Doesn't that count for something?"

"It be meaning I can do the battle of my color rival again," Iris commented, taking a sip from a water bottle.

"...Color rival?" The beige-skinned girl tilted her head, confused.

"Inigo is indigo, and I am indigo. We wield the rollers," she explained. "Inigo is my color rival."

"With that logic, wouldn't that mean Brayden's my color rival?" she wondered. "Even though I wield a charger and you wield a blaster?"

"Yes, you would be my color rival," the octoling boy confirmed. "Oscar's color rival is Octavia, and Yvonne's color rival is Yuri." She peered at the mirror, where the tan-skinned boy was frowning. "I do not know who Giovanni's color rival would be, though."

"The close is Alexis, but she is orange," Iris pointed out.

"Following your logic, Gio's color rival would be Geneva," Bonnie deduced. "But she's still on vacation..."

"The first thing Giovanni will do when she comes back is battle her, then," Brayden remarked. "I know it."

"I want to battle her, also," the indigo-haired girl announced. "Is personal."

In the mirror, he frowned. "Geneva..." He spoke the rest of his sentence in Octarian, a fact Bonnie was not too happy about. After he finished, Iris said something back to him, and he proceeded to say something back to her. It grew into a full-on conversation, and not a happy one, judging by their tone. They seemed to pay no attention to the inkling in the car with them, causing the blue-haired girl to sink into the cushions once more. She eyed her surroundings. A worn toolbox was up against the door, a picture taped to it. She leaned closer towards it, hoping to get the full details of the image.

Two octolings that both looked about fourteen were depicted in the picture, arms slung around each other. Not surprisingly, they both wore the octoling soldier's gear, goggles included. They both had contempt smiles on their faces, the boy on the left's bearing a grin, sending chills down Bonnie's spine. The posters in the background seemed to be anti-inkling propaganda, which did not help. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be Brayden and Oscar.

"Umm..." Bon-Bon muttered, reaching out towards the toolbox. "What's the deal with this?"

The tan-skinned octoling glanced over his shoulder quickly before returning his attention to the road. "Oh, that?" he started. "I have a job fixing weapons at Nouveau. I bring it with me every shift. I also bring it everywhere." He chuckled. "The amount of Inkbrushes I have to fix is ridiculous."

"You fix weapons? That's so fresh!" she complimented. She realized that she had gotten distracted and slapped her cheek. "Uh, I mean, the picture on it."

"The picture? That was from when Iris and I still served in the Octarian army. ...You are aware of the Calamari Inkantation, right?"

"I don't know why it's so important to you, if that's what you mean."

"Really? I thought the others told the reason why to you."

"If they did, I don't remember them telling me."

"Then I will explain." He cleared his throat and began his story. "Two years ago, coming up on three, the dreaded Agent 3 came to DJ Octavio's lair, wishing to...stop him. As the battle grew more and more intense, the Squid Sisters hijacked Octavio's speakers, and suddenly, the Calamari Inkantation played. Hearing it, I realized that the life I lived was not for me. So, I left for Inkopolis, now free from the Octarian oppression." He paused. "The story is the same for almost all of the young octolings you see today. It was that powerful."

"Fresh." _But it sounds fake..._

"It turned out a little differently for me, though. You see, I used to be a spy for the army. But now, instead of spying on Inkopolis, I spied on the Octarians in an effort to keep the freed octolings informed. So, for two years, I lived a double life. I finally decided to quit after the Squid Sisters played Calamari Inkantation a second time. The dauntless Agent 4...stopped DJ Octavio again, freeing even more octolings. I figured it was too risky to stay in Octo Canyon. Besides, maybe someone else will take my role."

Bonnie simply blinked, soon nodding. "There's still one question I have... Why do Iris and Giovanni want to fight us inklings so badly?"

"I can the answer," Iris interjected. "Inklings splatted my friends; I have the grudge not again-"

"Against," Brayden corrected.

"Stop," she snapped at him. The other octoling tensed up and continued driving. "...Against inklings," she continued. "However, Giovanni thinks inklings strong. It is a challenge to him. Before Inkopolis, he never fighted one." A crunch sounded from the water bottle Iris held as she tightened her fist. "I have. I wished I do more to help, not cower. I paid the price. That is the grudge of mine."

"Oh... I can't relate," the blue-haired girl murmured.

"Figures."

The car stopped in front of an apartment building, and the three climbed out of the car and entered it. The receptionist didn't even bother to greet them, instead lazily looking at the computer screen. They stepped into the elevator, which took them up a few floors. They wandered the drab halls until they came across a door covered in stickers. Brayden unlocked it, and they stepped inside the apartment. The layout kind of reminded her of Asher's apartment, except the kitchen was more towards the back of the room instead of near the entrance.

"Please, hear my song," Iris pled. She ran to the only bedroom in the apartment and came back out with a sheet of paper, writing scribbled onto it. "You must like it."

"But what if-" Bonnie started.

"You do not have choice." She got out her phone and started to play a recording of a guitar. The octoling took a deep breath and started singing.

* * *

Bonnie leaned back in her chair, watching students do whatever they came up with for the talent show. The lights were dimmed, a spotlight focused on the person on stage. Right now, a few sea anemones were dancing to some foreign music.

"See, this isn't so bad," Octavia whispered to her friend. "Right?"

"It's entertaining," she agreed. "But I wanna see somethin' new now."

"Same. Watchin' some anemones dance gets kinda lame after a while."

The song finished, and the sea anemones struck a pose. They strutted off stage, making way for the next act—Iris Thaumo. The indigo-haired girl walked out on stage, holding an acoustic guitar in one hand. A jellyfish brought out a stool for her, and she sat down on it. She lowered the microphone and began to speak.

"Hello," she greeted. "I hope you are liking my song. I write my song myself. It was given edit by the friend of me, Brayden, and language teacher Ms. Vomer."

The crowd applauded, but quickly settled down as Iris began playing the opening chords of the song. It soon turned into a solemn melody, and she opened her mouth to sing.

"Many years ago there was a little girl. / All alone in the cold, cold world. / Her only friend was a pearl. / The beauty within an ugly oyster. / She realized there was no place for her. / She was only a pawn in the game. / She wanted to become something more. / She changed just to become better!" As her voice grew in volume, her tone had become more desperate. "But is this what she wanted? / Her life was terrible, still! / She only became unwanted! / And she paid, she paid, she paid a terrible price for it." The guitar only became more intense as she finished the chorus. However, it quickly calmed down as she moved on to the next verse.

"The girl, now a teen, wandered the halls. / She felt so lonely, so, so lonely. / Her only friendship was doomed to fall. / They changed paths at the age of fourteen. / And her new friends treated her like trash. / But she clung to them anyways. / Because she didn't want her life to crash. / Her life could not crash again!" She sung the chorus again, and after she finished, the guitar solo continued for quite some time. Its intensity continued on to the third verse. "One day, her friends died. / It was her fault, all her fault! / One day, she was summoned to face the tides. / She had lost all faith, convinced this would be the end!"

The guitar abruptly stopped, causing Via to jump next to Bonnie in her seat. "Don't worry," she whispered to her friend. "This is the best part."

Iris plucked a few strings, resuming the starting melody as she whispered her next few lines. "But then, the Dreaded returned. / Accompanied by a heavenly melody. / The girl's heart was set free, her beliefs overturned. / She realized there was more to life. / She could live a happy life in the city. / Away from the machine, reunited with her childhood friend. / Her ugly life had become pretty. / And finally, she was happy!" The more intense music returned as she sung a revised version of the chorus. "Finally, she had what she wanted. / Her life was beautiful, now! / She had become wanted! / And she lives, she lives, she lives happily ever after." She strummed her fingers against the guitar strings and finished, "And I live happily ever after." She repeated the notes, bringing the song to an end at last.

Iris let out a shaky breath, and suddenly, the crowd roared an applause. Everyone stood out of their seats, clapping wildly.

"Woo!"

"That. Was. Superfresh!"

"Oh my coddd!"

"Dang, Iris could outcompete me," someone commented from behind Bonnie. She looked over her shoulder to find Perry, clapping. "That voice is beautiful."

"Yeah, that was some top-notch music," Yuri agreed. "It's on par with that rap earlier."

The blue-haired girl smirked. "I told you Iris's song was amazing."

"I'm not gonna hear the end of this, am I?" the purple-haired inkling muttered.

"Yeah, Perry, you won't," Octavia teased. "We're gonna talk about this until we're all old and senile!" The four laughed.

"Seriously, we gotta compliment her on this," the dark-skinned boy suggested.

"I don't think we need to," Perry countered, pointing at the stage. Iris's indigo eyes became watery as she scanned the auditorium. She blinked, and tears started to stream down her cheeks as a wide smile came across her face.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you very much!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is... the last chapter before part one of the finale. Do you guys like Iris's song? I wrote it to be reflective of Iris's backstory, so how do you interpret it? Anyone who correctly interprets it gets a cookie. On the other hand, let's talk about the finale. Part 1 of the finale, which will be from Inigo's perspective, will come out on Saturday, while part 2 of the finale, which will be from Perry's perspective, will come out next Sunday. Then, the first bonus story will come out next Monday, and after that, we'll be on hiatus! Woo, it's been quite the ride... Thank you guys for reading "The Rainbow Squids" up to this point!


	56. Ghost Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon coming back from a visit with Tiffany, Inigo learns from the others about a mysterious ghost haunting the Deepsea Metro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice: This chapter touches on events of Octo Expansion.

_Inigo's PoV_

As Inigo drove on the streets of Inkopolis, he glanced at his phone—which he was using as a GPS—every once in a while. The coordinates to Tiffany's apartment were loaded in there. The lady had texted him that she wanted to see him. _For what?_ he wondered.

"You have arrived at your destination," the robotic voice of the phone informed. He parked in front of the building and walked inside. This apartment complex wasn't much different from the one Geneva and Asher lived in, though it was certainly more lively. Pictures of various residents were framed along the walls, which were painted with a variety of colors. Even the receptionist was lively, as her eyes immediately lit up upon seeing the boy.

"Welcome to Chromaments!" the manta ray greeted. "How may I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm here to see Tiffany Teuthis," he requested.

"Teuthis, Teuthis..." She started typing in the name into the computer next to her. "Ah ha! Room 216 is where she lives."

"Thanks."

"No problem! Come back soon!"

He walked over to the elevator, entered it, and pressed a button that made it rise to the second floor. As he waited, thoughts started invade his mind. _Please don't be mad, please don't be mad. I would have been killed if I didn't give it to them._ The determined faces of the three ladies that attacked him flashed in his mind. And now, the Vigilante was no more. Now, he was just Inigo... again.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. He stepped into the hallway and started walking down it. Unlike the lobby, the walls were painted orange. He recalled there being up to seven floors, so he started to wonder if each hallway was painted a different color of the rainbow. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, as he soon arrived at Tiffany's front door. He raised a hand and started knocking on the wood.

"Hello? Tiffany?" he called. "It's Inigo Sable."

The door opened, and once more, he stared into the lady's dark eyes. "Hi, Inigo. Come on in."

Greatly contrasting the rest of the apartment complex, the walls were painted grey. The boy with a ponytail sat down on a plaid couch, while Tiffany rested in a cushioned leather chair across from it. She picked up her tea and started drinking it.

"So, I heard you don't have that roller I gave you anymore," she started. "Is this true?"

He hesitated. "Umm..."

"I'm taking that as a yes," she deduced after taking a sip of her tea. "What happened?"

"These ladies attacked me, demanding that I give the roller back."

"Describe them."

"They all had green ink." He faced her dark eyes. "Like Marie! Y'know, of the Squid Sisters?"

"I'm aware. Continue."

"Well, one of them looked a lot like my friend. Bronze skin, short hair, orange eyes... you get the idea. She even had dualies! Another lady had a Hero Roller, with black hair and pale skin. I never saw her eyes—she was wearing sunglasses. Though now that I think about it, she kind of reminds me of Callie. The last lady had a Hero Charger. With grey hair and pale skin, she reminds me of Marie. I think her eyes were... gold? I'm not too sure, to be honest." After his description, he cleared his throat and asked, "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Boy, you're asking the wrong questions."

"I am?"

Tiffany got up and walked up to his chair, kneeling in front of him. She tapped his nose and continued, "You're the Vigilante; no one can stop you. Not even if you lose your weapon. Those ladies were a test to your commitment. And you failed it."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"

"Good."

_It's stolen property. And Sheldon's offering a big reward for its return._ The words of Alexis's doppelganger echoed in his head. For a moment, he thought about mentioning it to the red-haired lady, but he ultimately decided against it. There was no way Tiffany could be a thief. She was so kind, even if she was snappy at times. Thus, he was determined to keep her trust. She's done so much for him in such a short period of time; he had trouble imagining where he would be right now without her. _I'd still be a loser, still flirting like I used to._ "So, what do I do now?" he asked instead.

"I have a new weapon for you," she replied. She pulled out another roller that resembled the new Hero Roller, but in actuality, it appeared to be a repainted Carbon Roller. "It's just a Carbon Roller," she explained, confirming his suspicions, "but this fresh new coat of paint should fool people into thinking you still have your roller."

"Fresh!" Inigo snatched the roller out of her hands and put it away. "Thanks!"

"No problem." She pumped a fist and announced, "Let the Vigilante rise again, rise again to be envied by all!" She lowered it and whispered, "Oh, and don't forget that girl I was talking 'bout at the Splatfest. I still haven't found her."

"Got it." The boy with the ponytail put the new roller away and started leaving the apartment. "See you later."

"You too," she called back. "Keep me notified!"

"I will, I will."

At first, he quickly walked down the hall, eager to get back to his car, but as he neared the exit to Chromaments, some thoughts started popping up in his mind. Now that he had a new roller than looks a lot like the old one, he could become the Vigilante again. Yet, he hated spending so much time away from his friends. But, if it helped him reach his goals, it was a risk he was willing to take. On the other hand, the Rainbow Squids seemed so relieved when he showed up to their table in Inkopolis Square again for the first time in a few weeks. _Perhaps the Vigilante should come back tomorrow, then._

The fair-skinned boy crawled into the vehicle and drove closer to the square. He parked at the parking space nearby—cars were not allowed in the square for obvious reasons—and hopped out, running to his next destination. As he journeyed over there, he suddenly had the fear that he would drop his new roller before remembering that it was concealed, making it impossible to drop. In the midst of the heavy breaths he took, he managed to let a sigh of relief escape his lips. At last, he had arrived at Inkopolis Square, stopping to catch his breath and gripping his knees. Afterwards, he rose, and he strolled his way towards the Rainbow Squids.

"Hey, Inigo!" Yuri immediately greeted. "Did you see Pip's story on Squidsagram?"

"...What story?" The indigo-haired inkling pulled out his phone and immediately opened up the social media app, directing himself to Pip's profile. He clicked on their icon, which led to a preview of Pip and another inkling, standing outside of a subway entrance. "This one?" he asked, showing the group his phone screen.

"Yeah, watch it," Octavia confirmed.

"OK." He turned the device back towards him and tapped on the screen, allowing it to play. He could not hear the audio very well, but he still understood what was happening. The two inklings ventured into the subway tunnel, entering a dark area, with only a flashlight illuminating the surroundings. They started talking among themselves when suddenly, the light caught a glimpse of green ink that stained the side of the tunnel. It was edged with strange turquoise ink, almost as if someone had splatted right there.

Inigo turned the volume up and was immediately met with a feminine scream echoing off of the walls. Pip and their friend looked at each other, nervous. Footsteps sounded, steadily getting closer and closer to them. It was then they started screaming expletives and bolted out of the subway tunnel, back into Inkopolis Square. The video ended, and the fair-skinned boy lowered his phone.

"Now ya got it?" Perry asked. "A bunch of squids have been heading down there 'cause of Pip's video, and now everyone's been calling that thing you heard a ghost."

"They've been chased out by the ghost every time," Alexis elaborated. "And I wanna get to the bottom of this."

"Everyone does," Via noted.

"Which is why we've agreed to go down that subway tunnel," Roy concluded.

"What?! Without asking me?!" Inigo exclaimed in disbelief. _They almost always consult me on everything!_

"I mean..." Bonnie scratched the back of her head. "You haven't been showing up a lot lately."

"Whatever we choose without you still happens to work out," the purple-haired boy pointed out. "So, whatever."

Inigo released the tension from his shoulders and sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"To be fair, you wouldn't really know what happened while you were gone until we tell you," Bon-Bon considered.

"Mhm," he agreed. He put his hands together and started, "While I don't think this is a really good idea, let's go check out that spooky ghost in the subway!"

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

They rose from their seats and started heading towards the entrance past the studio, towards the direction of Starfish Drinks. They pushed the gate opened and descended underground, with Roy leading them. He used his phone as a flashlight, a beam shining just below the camera. Unsurprisingly, given the humidity, water dripped off the ceiling, sometimes landed on the group of inklings. Merely an annoyance to them, the curious Rainbow Squids only had but to trek on.

It did not take long from them to find their first sign of life—green ink and turquoise ink was splattered onto the floor, now slowly disappearing. There was less of the former than the latter, an oddity if one assumed that they appeared at the same time.

"This weird-lookin' ink..." Bonnie kneeled down and touched a beige hand to it. The goop stuck to her, dripping off of her fingers. "It's thicker than normal."

"I don't think you should be touching that," commented Alexis, grimacing.

"What? It's just ink," she puzzled, her blue eyes looking back at them.

"You said it yourself, it looks weird," Perry noted.

"Yeah, I did. I'll stop now." She glanced at her hands. "But it's just sticking to me. Hmm..." Bonnie changed her ink color to green and hopped into one of the green puddles, submerging in it as a squid. She emerged a few seconds later, the turquoise ink now absent from her hands. She stepped out of the ink puddle and changed her color back to blue.

"Alright, let's not step in that, then," Inigo concluded, navigating himself around the ink puddles. "Let's keep going."

The Rainbow Squids continued walking, seeing more and more ink puddles as they headed deeper inside, some puddles being more recent than others. Oddly enough, they heard no screams as of yet, puzzling Inigo. _That's weird_ , he noted silently. _I would've thought we would hear something by now._

Eventually, they came across a fork in the tunnel, splitting off into three different paths. To the left, straight ahead, or to the right. Roy started heading straight, but the indigo-haired boy was quick to stop him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait," he said. "What if the others want to go another way?"

"Why not this way?" the other boy questioned. "We won't get lost if we keep goin' straight."

"I know, but who knows what fresh things we could find if we go a different way?"

"You're not making sense, Inigo. We're going straight."

"Yeah, it would be better to go straight," Alexis piped up in agreeance.

"I don't know, I kinda wanna explore this whole thing!" Yuri disputed.

"Same," Perry agreed.

"I think we should go straight," Bonnie mused. Via nodded in agreement and looked over at Yuri and Perry.

"Majority rules," she sneered.

"Oh, fine," the purple-haired boy groaned.

"I mean, that's fine with me." The yellow-haired boy simply shrugged.

And thus, the group continued heading the same direction as before, heading deeper into the subway. Some moans could be heard from overhead, sending a chill down the fair-skinned inkling's back. The subway slowly became more and more decorated as they headed deeper in, now being decorated with various posters. Fluorescent lights hung above them, and a few booths and vending machines were set up. The rails the subway trains would ride around on started to become evident.

"Wow," Octavia muttered. "I don't think anyone else has gone this far in."

"Yeah," Yuri agreed. "That has to be a good sign, right?"

"I don't know. It's quiet..." Inigo muttered. "Too quiet."

Suddenly, rapid footsteps sounded from above, causing the Rainbow Squids to freeze in their tracks.

"W-What was that?!" the wavy-haired girl gasped, hiding behind her beige-skinned friend.

"I don't know," Alexis announced. "Stay alert." She then pulled out an orange weapon that appeared to be some kind of shooter.

"What? Alexis! What are you doing?!" Via called.

"Via, don't worry," she assured her sister. "It's just a weapon."

"Well, why did you pull it out?" she demanded.

"What if something jumps out at..." A small piece of notebook paper suddenly floated down on her, getting in her face. She swung her arms to grab it, and the paper crunched in her hand. She unfolded the wrinkled paper and read it. "...'Leave, now.'"

"Ha!" Roy cheered. "So there _is_ a ghost!"

"No, that's a bad thing!" Bonnie cried. "If the ghost wants us to leave, then we should, or else we're probably gonna be dinner."

"You worry too much, Bon-Bon," Perry noted. "I doubt some random ghost would want to hurt us."

"Uh, did you even listen to the videos?!" she argued. "There's always a feminine scream."

"Quote, 'feminine,'" he countered, doing air quotes.

"So by 'us', you meant you and the guys," Octavia concluded.

"Yea... Oh."

Alexis snickered. "See? Now ya got some sense!"

"Let's keep going," Inigo suggested.

"Oh, alright..." Bonnie let out a sigh, and they moved onward.

The tunnel gradually became more and more open, making way for even more posters to decorate the walls. He spotted a security camera or two, but he figured it was nothing serious. No one really used this particular subway anyways, so he figured that the cameras would be practically useless. The entire time, though, footsteps sounded above them, putting the entire group on edge. Alexis had her weapon out at all times, ready to fire if needed. Of course, they spotted the occasional green and turquoise puddles, but there was no life to be found outside of them.

Suddenly, after some minutes of walking, Roy held out his arm. "Look," he whispered, pointing to a platform above them.

Standing on top of something raised was a funny-looking inkling girl about their age, with curly, magenta hair and matching magenta eyes. Her light brown hands beheld a small, textured object, but Inigo couldn't make out the exact details. Her clothes were black and leather, with her boots doubling as heels. Two yellow bands circled around one wrist and one ankle. A glowing, blue sea cucumber beckoned her inside the subway cart. She put the object away and walked inside. With a hiss, the train sped off, leaving the Rainbow Squids behind in the smoke. They coughed and moved their arms around to dispel the gas.

"That was...a bad idea," the indigo-haired boy concluded, still coughing.

"But we learned something," Bonnie noted. Her words were interrupted with a cough. "That door there leads to somewhere."

"You're right." Yuri smiled. "Let's check it out!"

"Yeah, it can't be _that_ bad," Octavia agreed.

"Then it's settled. Let's super-jump up there," Roy commanded. Everyone nodded, and, turning into squids, they flew up to the platform. The red-haired inkling happened to land on the raised platform the mysterious girl was standing on before, and on contact, a glass barrier appeared around him. "Woah!"

"Roy, what's goin' on?!" Perry demanded, bewildered.

"I dunno! I..." He studied the holographic screen that had popped up in front of him. Inigo went behind him to read whatever text had popped up, only to find out it was not in Inkling. However, there were pictures of weapons on the screen. "I think it wants me to choose a weapon?"

"A weapon?" Alexis stood next to the boy with the ponytail, studying the screen. "I don't trust this thing," she muttered, eyes narrowing.

"There's a Jet Squelcher, a Rapid Blaster Pro, and an Octobrush," Yuri commented.

"So, which one will ya pick?" asked Inigo.

"Personally, I wouldn't pick any of them."

The Rainbow Squids looked around for the source of the new voice. Suddenly, something, or rather, someone, dropped from the ceiling. Landing on her feet, a green-haired inkling girl rose from a kneeling position to a standing one, and now she stared at them with tired eyes. Her fair skin seemed to be paling, and she wore a classic hero suit, accented with sky blue lights, alongside a battered cape. In one hand was a Hero Shot.

"I told you, you need to leave," she said. "It's too dangerous down here, and I don't want any of you squids getting hurt today."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! Part one of the Season 2 finale at last. I've always planned for the Rainbow Squids to explore the Deepsea Metro, but what would originally happen was totally different. It was only going to be one chapter, and they brought home a sanitized octoling instead of what they will be doing next chapter. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, as the story evolved, I ultimately decided against it, leading to what we have today. I hope you like it, and stay tuned for part two tomorrow!


	57. Leave, Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ghost reveals herself to the Rainbow Squids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION: This chapter covers content from Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion.

__

_Perry's PoV_

Octavia crossed her arms. "Shouldn't _you_ leave too, then?" she challenged. "You said it yourself, it's 'dangerous.'"

"That's different!" the mysterious inkling protested. "The only reason I'm still down here is because I need to find someone."

"Who?" Perry asked.

"An old man. He's kind of my mentor," she explained. "I'm really hoping he's with..." She shook her head. "Never mind."

"How do you... eat?" Roy asked. He still remained inside the barrier, and he leaned against the glass wall. "All I've seen down here are weird ink puddles."

"I know how to get to the surface from here," she pointed out. "I just go up there." The green-haired girl shook her head. "I'm getting distracted. You need to leave."

"We came here for a reason," Inigo started.

"And that's to find the 'ghost' everyone's been wondering about on Squidsagram," Alexis concluded.

She blinked. "A ghost?"

Perry showed the girl a post he had saved to his phone. "Read it, it'll tell you."

She read it, and with a frown, she pushed the phone back towards the pale-skinned boy. "I think I'm the ghost everyone's talking about. Sorry to disappoint you."

"What? We gotta let everyone know!" Octavia exclaimed.

"Please don't," the girl groaned. "If people know, then they'll only be more people down here, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt by one of these things."

"Oh." The wavy-haired girl had taken her phone out, and now she was putting it away. "Sorry. I got too excited."

"Well, I'm still not leavin'," Yuri proclaimed. "I wanna see what's down there." He pointed to the dark room past the decorated walls.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "If we go down there, then will you leave?"

The Rainbow Squids looked at each other before all nodding. "Yes," Roy stated. He pressed the icon with the Rapid Blaster Pro on it, and moments later, the selected weapon suddenly appeared in his hands. The barrier retreated back into the ground, and he stepped off of it.

"Oh, me next!" Via stepped onto the platform, and like with the tan-skinned boy, a barrier appeared around her as well. She selected the Octobrush, and much like with Roy, the weapon appeared in her bronze hands a few moments later.

The next person to step on was Bonnie. "Hmm... The only weapon I can choose is the Jet Squelcher," she noted. The beige-skinned took the weapon and stepped off the platform as well. When Perry tried to use it, nothing happened.

"If all of you want to fight, then I'll be right back." Turning into a green squid, the girl super-jumped back into one of the vents above them. The purple-haired inkling heard footsteps pound on metal above them, getting softer as the new inkling sped away. To fill in the silence while they waited for her return, they chattered.

"So, the 'ghost' turned out to be a girl," Roy started.

"I'm not surprised," Alexis admitted.

Via looked at her sister. "You aren't?"

"The moment I saw those puddles of ink, I knew something was up with this place," the short-haired girl explained. "That girl's hair was green, so she's probably the one splatting...whatever's down here."

"Aw, but the ghost thing was super fresh," Perry groaned.

"At least we found the 'ghost,'" Yuri pointed out. "That has to count for something."

"Yeah," Octavia agreed. "I can see it. The Rainbow Squids, who found the mysterious ghost in this subway. Even if we can't get proof."

"But that girl isn't a ghost," Alexis deadpanned.

"Just let me have my moment," she muttered, disappointed.

Before they could continue any further discussion, a weapon dropped to the ground. And another. And another. And another. Finally, the mysterious inkling dropped to the ground, the pile of weapons in front of her.

"These should work," she announced. The inklings without weapons walked up to the pile, examining it. Lying on the ground was a splatling, some dualies, a roller, and a slosher, all having black-and-red accents.

"Wow," Perry marveled, picking up the slosher. "Where did ya get these?"

"I beat up some octolings and stole their weapons, nothing special," she explained.

Yuri grimaced at her words. "Gruesome, but... OK!" He picked up the splatling.

"I appreciate the effort, but..." Alexis held up her shooter. "I already got a weapon."

"You did?" the green-haired girl puzzled.

"Mhm." The short-haired girl held out her weapon, and the other girl examined it.

"Where'd ya get it?"

"Uh... Well... Uh... My friend gave it to me, but Sheldon upgraded it for me. We kinda have a deal."

"Ah... OK." She picked up the dualies and threw them over the platform. "Guess I got these for nothin' then."

Without saying anymore words, Inigo proceeded to pick up the roller, and they all followed the green-haired girl to the gate. She changed her ink color to magenta, in which the rest of the inklings proceeded to copy her actions. She pulled a blue object out of her pocket and swiped it across the card reader at the gate, opening it and propelling the group forward. They landed on a checkpoint than glowed magenta when they stepped on it, and in front of them was a launchpad of the same color.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Alexis murmured.

The long-haired girl was about to step on the swirling circle when Perry noticed a symbol etched on the back of her cape. A silver 'three'.

"Wait... A three..." he mused.

She looked over at him. "Yeah, what about it?"

"You're wearing a hero suit, your cape says 'three', and Gio likes to blab about 'the Dreaded Agent 3,' so..." He looked into her eyes, ones that had become nervous. "Are _you_ Agent 3?" he asked with some venom, remembering Iris's story of how the inkling had killed her friends.

"Woah, Perry, what's gotten into ya?" Yuri whispered to his friend.

She remained silent for a few moments, shocked. Then, she gave a solemn nod. "Yes, I am Agent 3."

"So, Giovanni wasn't making up stories after all..." Bonnie realized. "There really _is_ an Agent 3."

"Who _is_ this Giovanni guy?" the fair-skinned girl asked.

"He's an octoling," Roy explained. "He leads our rival team, Octa Prisma."

"I see..." She stepped onto the launchpad. "Let's go." The Rainbow Squids followed her and stepped onto it as well, and soon, they super-jumped down towards the arena, which was illuminated by warm-colored lights. A turquoise puddle of ink with a soapy texture sat in front of them. _Just like the random puddles of ink we've been seeing._

"Is this it?" Octavia questioned. "Doesn't seem very exciting."

"Wait." Agent 3 put an arm out in front of them, beckoning for them to stop. Electricity started to crackle around the puddle, and suddenly, a bright light appeared as something large emerged from it. The light faded, and several loaves of swirled bread with faces popped out of the various ovens that decorated the machine. "A boss!" she exclaimed.

"... _Octo Oven_?" the short-haired inkling perplexed.

"Is that its name?" the long-haired girl queried.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," she answered.

"Huh. I don't know how you know that, but I'm just gonna go with it." She pointed her Hero Shot at Octo Oven. "Stay back, and don't get splatted. You never know what to expect from these guys."

"What about you?" Inigo asked.

She looked over her shoulder and smirked. "I'll take it from here."

The oven beeped and opened one lid, which proceeded to launch a loaf of bread out of it, aiming for Agent 3. She rolled out of the way and threw out a curling bomb, allowing a swift escape. Meanwhile, blobs of ink fell at the Rainbow Squids' feet, causing them to step back. They looked up at the source—a few green creatures situated on top of the oven.

"Are those... Octarians?" Yuri marveled.

"Yeah, and they're definitely gonna try and splat us," Alexis confirmed.

"Yo, this seems unreal," Perry blurted. "It's like they jumped out of the history textbook."

"But aren't Octarians like, red or somethin'?" Octavia puzzled. "These are green!"

"I guess they came back from the dead," the pale-skinned boy joked.

"OK, but like Agent 3 said—we gotta stay out of the way!" Inigo urged.

The Octarians spat another round of projectiles at them, causing them to scatter even more. Suddenly, Yuri started charging up the splatling he got from Agent 3 and fired at them, causing them to explode into puddles of magenta ink.

He shrugged. "Might as well help her!"

Suddenly, the entire oven shook, and every single loaf of bread fired out of it, remaining in place. A huge blue-and-green tentacle now hung limply at its top. _Just like Octonozzle,_ Perry realized. _Except different._ In the corner of his purple eyes, he could see the long-haired girl climb up the loaves until she reached the top. She quickly splatted the remaining Octarians and started aiming for the central tentacle, quickly popping it. She grabbed a can before super-jumping back to where Inigo currently stood, far away from the action.

"Easy," she breathed, tossing the can up in the air. "Who wants this?"

"What's in it?" Alexis asked.

"Ink Armor," she replied.

"Shouldn't you keep it, then?" the boy with the ponytail suggested.

"I don't need to." She tossed the can to Inigo and watched as the huge tentacle reappeared on Octo Oven. It dove into the oven, and some of the paneling fell away to reveal steel. It shot out some ink pistons, landing around the group. Some sprinklers and more Octarians appeared on it and it proceeded to roar, clearing the existing ink from the area. Agent 3 let out a sigh. "OK, now this got more complicated." Suddenly, a Baller appeared around her, and she started running away. "Deal with the sprinklers; I'll distract the boss."

"Got it," the fair-skinned boy said with a smile.

"Wow, how could she do that?" Yuri wondered. "The Baller thing."

"Yeah, I would've expected a Splashdown," Roy agreed.

"Focus," Alexis egged. "We gotta take out the sprinklers." Turquoise ink was already surrounding them, making it harder to walk around. Perry trudged in the ink, towards the nearest sprinkler. He threw some ink from the slosher up at it, breaking it instantly.

"There," he proclaimed, putting a hand on his chest. "We got one!"

"There's still more, though," Inigo pointed out. "Let's get the rest."

"Mhm." Roy fired a blast from the Rapid Blaster Pro, creating a path for the squids to swim in. Octavia, on the other hand, ran ahead with the Octobrush, which also created a path. They followed the paths, swinging around the machine and breaking the sprinklers one-by-one. They soon came across Agent 3 once more, who now paced around the arena on foot, dodging the ejected loaves of bread.

"The sprinklers are gone!" the short-haired girl announced, pumping a fist.

"Fresh." The long-haired girl gave a smile, but then her eyes drifted up to the top of the machine. "But we still have the Octobombers to deal with."

After she finished, one of the aforementioned Octobombers noticed them and hurled a splat bomb out of its mouth. Upon sight of this, she jumped into the air, a magenta circle appearing around her. She crashed to the ground with a fist, creating an explosion of ink around her and destroying the bomb. She rose to her feet and watched as Octo Oven began to shake once more before launching all loaves of bread from the oven.

"I'll get it!" Perry announced, inking the side of the bread and starting to climb it. Suddenly, a bomb fell from above, bumping him on the head. "Ow..." He rubbed it, but moments later, he realized it was about to blow up. In a panic, he jumped down to the loaf below and watched as the bomb blew up into a puddle of turquoise ink. It was then a stream of magenta ink shot through the air from somewhere, piercing the Octobomber. As it splatted, it let out a garbled cry, and the pale-skinned boy turned to face the source of the charged shot.

Flying towards the ground were the weapon testers that had previously accompanied Alexis back when Sheldon's new Hero Roller was missing. The black-haired lady held a classic Hero Roller, while the grey-haired lady held a Hero Charger.

"We're here!" the roller wielder announced.

"Just in time, it seems," the charger wielder added.

Alexis ran over to them. "You followed us here?"

"Well, we saw you going down here," the grey-haired inkling started. As Perry listened in on the conversation, he fell off the bread loaf as it retreated back into the oven.

"So some time passed, and we thought you and your friends were in trouble," continued the black-haired inkling.

"So yeah, we did follow you down here," she concluded. "Sorry."

"It looks like you got everything under control, though." The other lady gave a big smile. "Which is superfresh! How did you manage it?"

"They had me," Agent 3 answered, walking over to them.

"Three!" the charger-wielder gasped. "I thought you were with Gramps!"

"He called you?" she perplexed.

"It's more like I found him in a weird chat room," she explained. "He said you two were doing fine."

"How long ago was this?"

"About two months ago, why?"

She blinked. "If that was two months ago, then..."

"Then what?"

"It's nothing," Agent 3 muttered. "I was just thinking."

"Um... OK."

"Talk to us if something's up, OK?" the black-haired inkling offered. "We're there for you. Promise."

The long-haired girl smiled and let out a chuckle. "Thanks, you two." Her eyes returned to the boss. "But now's not the time to be messin' around."

Perry heard something rattle behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to find the oven lid about to bust open, revealing the loaf. He rolled out of the way, his hoodie becoming covered with sticky turquoise ink. He muttered a curse and rose to his feet, wiping the enemy ink off of him. He swung his slosher, creating a path for him to escape in, and swam away.

After he emerged from the end of the trail, he found Yuri, firing up at the Octarians with the splatling. One smaller Octarian started to fly down towards him, shooting out a blob of turquoise ink, but it was immediately obliterated by the rapid-fire bullets from the splatling. Some magenta ink left from the explosion splattered onto the paneling.

"I got another one!" the dark-skinned boy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with pride.

"We still have the others to deal with, though," sounded Inigo from behind them.

"But do we _have_ to take them out?" Perry challenged. "I mean, what's the worst they can do? Get us dirty?"

"They can splat us," he deadpanned.

"Oh, uh, yeah." He scratched the back of his head. "They can."

"Let's keep moving," Inigo commanded. He raised the roller for a vertical flick, creating another path for the three to swim in. Turning into squids, they swam around the boss, avoiding the loaves of bread it sent at them. Eventually, they met up with Roy, Octavia, and Bonnie, who were dancing around ink pistons plaguing the arena. The boy with the ponytail emerged from the ink and swung his weapon vertically once more, creating another path. He gestured for them to follow him, and they heded his command with no further complaints. At last, they met up with Alexis, Agent 3, the roller wielder, and the charger wielder, who were right in the middle of a conversation. Inigo was the first to emerge, but upon sight of the two newcomers, he submerged back into the ink.

"Uh... Inigo?" Roy questioned. "Are you OK?"

"Not them..." he groaned. "I don't want to see them."

Curious, Perry took a few steps closer to the group, listening in on the conversation once more. "Geez," the black-haired inkling complained. She jumped back at the Octo Oven's next attempt to splat her. "This guy just won't quit!"

"We have to wait, or things will go a rye," the grey-haired inkling reminded her. "This weird version of Octo Oven can't bake bread forever."

"And then once it's toast, we can go up there and pop that tentacle!" Alexis exclaimed, her finger on the trigger of her shooter.

"Right," Agent 3 said. "And speaking of waiting..." The machine began to shake. "Watch out!" Everyone jumped out of the way of the ejected loaves, allowing them to climb up it.

The charger wielder shot at the remaining Octarian, splatting it. "Go," she told the long-haired inkling. "Before it's bready for more."

She nodded and climbed up the loaves of bread, reaching the top. She initiated another Splashdown and burst the blue-and-green tentacle open, causing turquoise ink to gush out of the hole it was once it. She grabbed another can that was on the top of it and super-jumped back down to the ground. She gave the can to Alexis and held out her arm, beckoning everyone behind her. The huge tentacle popped out of the hole once more before diving back into the machine, reactivating it. The loaves ejected themselves to receive armor before going back into the oven. Perry bit his tongue, trying to suppress his laughter. Some more Octarians spawned on the top of it again, just before the Octo Oven roared to remove all ink from the arena. Oddly enough, the ink pistons seemed to be absent.

"Octosnipers!" the black-haired inkling gasped. "They'll end you in three seconds splat!"

One of the aforementioned Octosnipers noticed the group and turned its beam down to them, firing a few seconds later. It hit Agent 3's arm, causing her to grip it in pain.

"You're lucky it hit me," she grunted through her teeth, glancing over at the Rainbow Squids. "Now, run!"

A contraption came out of the side of the boss, and jets of turquoise ink started to shoot out of it. "There comes the glazing machine," the grey-haired lady mused.

The fair-skinned girl threw a curling bomb onto the ground, inking a trail. "Hurry!"

Everyone dove into the trail, swimming away from the glazing machine. As the oven spun around, it created a turquoise path in its wake. After the last curling bomb exploded, Agent 3 emerged to throw out another curling bomb, in which they all swam through once more. After covering about half the map in enemy ink, the Octo Oven put the glazing machine away and returned to attempting to headbutt the inklings with bread.

"I got this!" Alexis cheered. She broke the can she held open, and a Sting Ray appeared in her hands. She aimed it up at the Octosnipers and started to fire, piercing through the splash walls protecting them. One of them was splatted, pleasing the bronze-skinned girl. "Booyah!" she cheered. The special weapon disappeared after its duration had expired, leaving her to just hold the orange shooter again. Right as it ended, however, ink pistons landed beside her, spraying her with turquoise ink as they spun around.

"This boss is somethin', huh?" Agent 3 commented, crossing her arms.

"Even the _bread_ is armored, that has to count for somethin'," Perry added. No matter how ridiculous it looked, he still found it hilarious.

"No, that's just ridiculous," the grey-haired inkling groaned. "I still can't believe armored bread exists..."

"Bread aside, I have an idea," the long-haired girl announced. The oven started ejected loaves at her, but she simply dodged them with grace. _I see why she's called 'the Dreaded' by Iris now,_ Perry realized. _She's terrifying._ Bonnie decided to help her out a little bit by destroying the sprinklers present on the sides of the machine. After a few attempts, the oven shook and ejected all loaves from the oven.

"Alright! Time to put this plan in motion!" Agent 3 pulled out a Sting Ray, which she fired at the remaining Octosnipers. "Agent 1! Agent 2! Do ya think we can do a special attack?"

_Agent 1? Agent 2?_ The purple-eyed inkling blinked. _Does that mean... Alexis is an agent, too?_ He shook his head, dismissing the idea. _No, that's ridiculous. Why would little Alexis be associated with the squid who killed Iris's friends?_

"A special attack?" the grey-haired inkling gasped.

"Aw yeah, a special attack!" the black-haired inkling cheered. "It's been forever since we've done one of those!"

"K." After putting the Sting Ray, away, she started inking the sides of the bread to climb it. Once the three of them had reached the top, Agent 3 proclaimed, "Let's go!"

"One!" yelled the roller wielder, lifting her Hero Roller in the air.

"Two!" yelled the charger wielder, preparing a charged shot.

"Three!" yelled the shooter wielder, charging towards the tentacle.

The black-haired lady slammed her roller on the metal top, sending a wave of magenta ink at the tentacle. The grey-haired lady fired her Hero Charger, piercing the tentacle with a powerful shot. The long-haired girl kicked the tentacle and fired her Hero Shot, finally causing it to explode. The three of them super-jumped off of the machine, and the Octo Oven started to glow magenta. It tried to eject bread to attack, but all of it came out burnt. It attempted to retreat back inside the oven, but to no avail. Electricity crackled around it, and finally, it burst in an explosion of magenta ink, covering the arena with it.

"Booyah!" the Rainbow Squids cheered.

"We did it!" exclaimed Yuri.

"And now, it's definitely toast," Perry snickered. "Maybe we can use the leftovers as-"

" _Don't_ even think 'bout it," Via scolded, pointing a finger at him.

"Aight, aight, I'll keep quiet."

Everyone super-jumped back to where the checkpoint was, where they promptly exited. Roy, Octavia, and Bonnie were pushed towards the raised platforms, where the weapons they had gotten from the device disappeared. Once the three were free, everyone changed their ink colors back to normal and started heading back where they came from.

"We saw what's down there, and so we're keeping our promise," Roy stated. "We're leaving now."

"Can I escort you back to the surface?" Agent 3 offered. "I know this place better than you squids do."

Inigo gave a nod. "Y-Yeah," he stuttered.

The green-haired girl proceeded to take the lead and walked straight ahead. The tunnel began to narrow once more, and the posters and other decorations gradually began to disappear. Soon, natural light lit the tunnel, and then, they stepped onto the streets of Inkopolis, the sun beating down on them. Never before had Perry been so glad to be here, in the square, again.

"Inkopolis..." Agent 3 sighed. "It's been too long since I've seen the sun."

"Yeah, you're getting pale," the grey-haired inkling noted.

"We should have a beach party some time!" the black-haired inkling offered.

"Not until I find Gramps," she rejected. "I don't know how long that'll be, but I'm not leaving him alone." She frowned. "I already felt so bad the first time he went missing."

"Really? I couldn't tell," the charger wielder marveled. "You just seemed so determined to get Gramps back that... I didn't consider how you were feeling."

"Yeah," the roller wielder agreed, dropping the peppy demeanor she had earlier. "It takes a lot to keep a straight face in a situation like that." She smiled. "But beach party after you find Gramps?"

Agent 3 laughed. "Beach party after I find Gramps."

"A beach party?" Yuri muttered. He smiled and asked, "Could we join in?"

"Ehh... I don't think so," the grey-haired lady replied. "It's kinda an 'us' thing. Sorry."

"Aw," he moaned in disappointed. The dark-skinned boy then smiled and said, "Well, good luck finding this 'Gramps' guy!"

"Yeah, good luck," Alexis added.

"Thanks." The green-haired inkling looked up at the sky, the sun reflecting off of her tentacles. "It feels nice to hear that." She turned around and started heading back into the subway. "I should be going, now," she concluded. "I have a duty to do, whenever I like it or not."

Agent 3 gave one final nod to the group and headed back into the dark subway, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! What did you think? Agent 3's appearance? The Squid Sisters' appearance? I've been excited to write this chapter for a while, since it's not every day I get to write about her. Now, the Season 2 finale is over, and we're back on hiatus! Well, we still have the bonus story tomorrow, then we'll be back on hiatus. Can you guess who it'll be about? Anyways, I don't know how many of you will read the bonus story, so I'll just say it now - Season 3 will debut in September, alongside the third bonus story. I'll see you soon.


	58. Bonus Story 2: The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent 3 takes a nap.

_Agent 3's PoV_

_They're gone._

The Rainbow Squids had gone into the light, while they left her darkness. But perhaps it was her own fault. Her stubbornness and loyalty to Cap'n had kept her here, and now she was paying the price. She climbed up into the vents and slumped. _How long will it be until I can talk to my friends again?_ She gripped her sides. _What if I_ never _go back?_ A chilling thought, indeed.

Agent 3 laid down on the cold, metal ground, throwing her cape around her like a blanket. I'm so tired... Gripping her Hero Shot, she let herself relax, and soon, she found herself in the comforting darkness that is sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing outside the door of her and her brother's apartment. She put a hand on the doorknob, finding it open. She twisted it to open the door, and she stepped inside to find no one in her immediate vision.

"Hello?" she called. "I'm home." No answer. "Hello?" Still, no answer. Maybe he's asleep.

She walked into her brother's bedroom to find him curled up on his bed, no sheets covering him. Oddly enough, his hair was still tied up as well. Gingerly, she approached him and kneeled down to see his face. A peaceful look framed him, his eyes closed.

"Hey, wake up," she muttered. She placed a hand on his arm to give him a little shake, only to find that no warmth emitted from his body. There was only a chilling coldness.

She retracted her hand, gasping as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. He's dead. She pulled him closer to him, lowering her head to sob into his chest. However, instead of burying it in some cloth, her face suddenly became pricked with hay. Agent 3 lifted her head to find that she was back at her old home, the farm, some hours away from Inkopolis. A seahorse was staring down at her, yellow eyes filled with curiosity. It lowered its head and nudged her.

The green-haired girl rose to her feet, her tears still wet. She exited the stall to find her sister, leading a seahorse out to a field. She looked over at her and waved.

"Hey! Why the long face?" she asked.

"I..." She placed a hand on her arm. "It's nothing."

"You sure?" she questioned once more.

"Yes."

"Oh." She blinked. "Alright." Her sister continued walking. "The race's about to start, c'mon!"

"The race?" Where she was from, they often had seahorse races, but she didn't expect one now. "Oh, right."

Agent 3 walked out of the barn, and she immediately found herself in the bleachers, alongside other citizens of the town, cheering names. On one seahorse was her sister, and on the seahorse right next to her was... Tiffany Teuthis, smirking.

She scowled as the name popped into her mind. She loathed that lady. She wouldn't let her ruin another life. The green-haired girl launched herself from her seat, towards the race track.

" _Tiffany!_ " she roared.

The lady's dark eyes glanced over at her, surprised. However, she quickly put on a straight face as she kicked the side of the seahorse, causing it to start galloping towards her, tearing through the obstacles on the race track. Now, the two inklings were racing towards each other, with Tiffany's seahorse threatening to run Agent 3 over. As soon as the long-haired inkling stepped onto the dirt, however, she found herself falling through it, soon landing in a dark area lit with speakers.

Cap'n Cuttlefish struggled in the rope that bound him the pole, while the Octobot King hovered over to him. It turned around to reveal DJ Octavio, his cold eyes staring right into her own. He lifted himself into the air and began to send two silver fists down at Agent 3. She jumped out of the way, only to fall into the abyss. She reached her hand out for the old man, only for him to stare at her with sad, brown eyes.

She crashed on the pavement of the square, her body aching. She rose to find the Rainbow Squids, staring at her with cold expressions.

"Guys...?" she whimpered.

They gave her no answer, turning their backs on her and leaving. Except Inigo. The fair-skinned boy was in the middle of the group, staring directly at her with indigo eyes. He tilted his head in an absent-minded manner, though his face remained the same.

"You don't deserve to be with us," he said blankly, his deep voice lacking any inflections it may have once had. He took a step towards Agent 3, who had taken a few steps back in return. "It's your fault you left." He took his hair out of his ponytail and started to twirl a free tentacle around his hand. "We don't need you. We never needed you."

"T-That's not true," the green-haired girl protested, taking even further steps back.

A smile came across the indigo-haired boy's face. "Oh, but it is." He took a few more steps towards her, now morphing into her brother. "He needed you," her brother stated with Inigo's voice. "And you left him."

"Stop it!" she cried out, tears pricking her eyes. "He's not dead!"

He gave an empty laugh before shifting into the form of Cap'n Cuttlefish. "You don't have much time left to save him," taunted Inigo's voice. "Like Marie said, it's been two months since she's last heard from him."

"He has to be with what's-her-face!" Agent 3 fell to her knees, looking up into the Captain's brown eyes. "He has to be!"

He ignored her, now transforming into one of her exes. "And what about everyone you've dated?" the deep voice, in stark contrast with the feminine form he had taken, questioned, eyebrows furrowing. He transformed into another ex. "You've hurt them, too." The long-haired inkling fell to her back, crawling away from the shape-shifting inkling. He continued taking the forms of her exes, all while advancing towards her. She hit an invisible barrier, where he retook Inigo's form in front of her. "You've hurt us all."

"I..."

Inigo proceeded to transform into a green serpentine creature with four long arms, the undersides of them white and filled with suction cups, not unlike an ancient squid. The hands were clawed, being tipped with red. Tiffany's head was plastered on the top of the creature, appearing as if she was stitched onto it.

"Who are you gonna save now, buttercup?" hissed Tiffany's voice. "You can't save everyone!" She dove towards her with an open gape, and Agent 3 covered her face, screaming.

When she opened her eyes, however, she was staring at the darkness once again. She took some deep breaths, sitting straight up. She scanned the area for a little bit before rising to her feet again. Clenching her Hero Shot tighter, she started walking again, her eyes and ears once again alert for any strange Octarians that may come her way.

 _It was just a dream,_ she reminded herself. _It was just a dream..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so here's Bonus Story 2. It's pretty short, but hopefully it gives you an insight into Agent 3 - what she was like before she became Agent 3, and her fears. It may seem a little confusing, but I trust you, it'll make much more sense when I reveal her identity, which shouldn't be too hard to figure out beforehand. Remember, when you guys find out about her identity, so will at least one of the Rainbow Squids. See you in September!


	59. Bonus Story 3: The Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octa Prisma decides to take a trip down memory lane and visit Octo Valley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of DJ Octavio, Callie, and Marie's dialogue come straight from Splatoon 1. All of Cap'n Cuttlefish's dialogue comes from Splatoon 1 as well.

_Iris's PoV_

_"Where are they?!"_

Giovanni paced around the Rainbow Squids' table, impatient. He tapped a few fingers against the metal, a stern look on his face.

"If I had to guess," started Brayden, sitting down in one of the chairs and leaning back in it, "they went to investigate whatever's down in that subway. The 'ghost' or whatever."

"Brayden," Iris requested. "Get up."

"OK, wildflower." The blue-haired octoling rose from the chair and walked over to her. "See? I'm up now."

She sighed. "I swear, you can be insufferable sometimes."

"Aren't I the one you've known the longest?" he whispered in her ear. "I've known you since-"

"Stop, stop." She pushed him aside. She loathed talking about her past in public.

"We should go look!" Yvonne offered. "What if there's something fresh down there?"

"I'm not in the mood," Oscar admitted. "I just want to sit down with some food from the Crust Bucket, and eat."

"You're _always_ thinking about food, Oscar," the dark-skinned girl whined. "Why not have an adventure for once?"

"I had an adventure when I came to Inkopolis, and I'm happy to leave it at that." He crossed his arms, still stubborn.

"How about we take a trip down memory lane, then," Brayden suggested. "Octo Valley."

"You're not gonna show us around Octo Canyon?" the octoling with the afro puzzled. "You said you would one day."

"Octo Canyon's too dangerous right now. You have to have an amazing amount of stealth not to get caught."

"I'm stealthy. Why not bring me?" Giovanni asked.

"Because I don't trust you enough."

Iris sighed. "We found a plan, and we're sticking to it." She grabbed Brayden's hand and started walking to the train. "C'mon, we're going to Inkopolis Plaza."

"Fine," the green-haired boy grumbled.

Octa Prisma arrived at the train, where they asked for a few tickets to the plaza.

"Inkopolis Plaza?" the ticketmaster perplexed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Giovanni replied in Inkling.

"Alright..." He gave the group of octolings tickets, and they all sat down near each other. Soon, the train started to depart, and they were on their way to the plaza. It did not take very long—they arrived within the hour. They hopped off of the train and walked towards the manhole that led to Octo Valley. Without a single word spoken, they turned into octopi and slipped through the grate, and moments later, they emerged in a land surrounded by green grass and rocky formations.

"Woah," Oscar gasped. "I've never been in this part of the valley."

"It's where the New Squidbeak Splatoon hide out," the boy with the mohawk explained. He picked up a zapfish doll from a nearby shack. "Remember the old guy DJ Octavio captured all those years ago? This belongs to him."

"You sure do know a lot," the boy with the afro commented.

"He stalked them for like, two years," Iris pointed out. "Of course he knows a lot."

"I was trying to do the same thing in Octo Canyon," Brayden added. "The thing is, I couldn't keep an eye on them 24/7, since I was trying to make the others believe I was still a member of the army."

"You said they had hypnoshades, now?" Yvonne spoke up. "What's the deal with that?"

"It's something the higher-ups invented to keep everyone in line," he explained. "I had a friend remove the hypnotizing mechanism inside, so I wouldn't be swayed over to the army once more."

"Sounds terrifying," she commented, taking a seat on the bench. Regardless, she still had a smile on her face.

 _Why do you take everything so lightly?_ Iris chastised her silently.

"Let's move," Giovanni announced, setting the doll down. "We're not here to sit around all day."

"Aw, alright." Yvonne jumped to the ground, following closely behind the green-haired octoling.

The other members of Octa Prisma were quick to follow, and they soon arrived at a deactivated inkrail. Their leader pulled out his Octo Shot Replica and shot at it, lighting it green. He dove into the bulb, emerging onto the trail as a green ink blob. He looked down at the group with beady eyes, scowling.

"What are you waiting for?" he hissed. "Change your ink color and let's go!"

"O-Oh, right!" Oscar stuttered, the color of his afro quickly changing to match Giovanni's hair. The others changed their ink color as well and dove into the inkrail. Everyone swam down it, traveling until they reached the next sector of Octo Valley, where the Octonozzle once resided, deep within the tower in the middle of the area. It was like a skatepark, similar to Blackbelly Skatepark, only it was not. The ditches here were good for training exercises.

Iris shuddered. It had only been three years, but it still seemed so long ago since she was last here.

"Up there." Brayden pointed a tan finger at the tower. "That's where you fought Perry and Alexis, right?"

"Indeed," Giovanni confirmed. "I see you have been listening."

The boy with a side cut pulled down his face mask, revealing a smirk underneath. "Of course I was listening. Why wouldn't I?"

He groaned. "You're unsufferable sometimes..." he muttered.

"Can we go to another sector now?" Yvonne requested. "I'm bored."

"I can't reminisce?" the boy with the mohawk questioned with a frown.

"Oh, fine." She plopped down onto the dirt, changing into an octopus. She closed her eyes and tucked her tentacles in. "I'll wait."

"Wait, I'll join you." Oscar turned into an octopus himself and slinked over to Yvonne, where he rested alongside her.

Iris groaned and dug her face into her hand. "You guys... Stop trying to take a nap."

"Why?" he questioned. "It's a nice time to take a nap."

"Because I don't want to go through the effort of waking you up later," she argued. "It's annoying, plus it's a waste of time."

"Can't you carry us?"

She snorted. "I'm not doing the heavy lifting."

Oscar reformed into a kid, his arms crossed. "Fine." He picked Yvonne up and placed her on his afro. She sunk into the squishy hairdo, making it appear larger than it actually was.

Giovanni started walking over to the next inkrail, where he proceeded to shoot it, revealing an even longer trail to the next area.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

The members of Octa Prisma looked at each and nodded. Oscar tapped Yvonne to wake her up. He proceeded to place her onto the ground, where she transformed back into a kid. The green-eyed octoling dove into the inkrail first, followed by his teammates. They arrived at the third sector of Octo Valley, which were filled with various towers.

"I remember this place," Oscar mused. "It's where I grew up."

"You grew up here, huh," Iris muttered. "It certainly has an industrial look to it."

"Well, there's tons of stuff you can use here," he pointed out. He picked up a piece of scrap metal, showing it off to the group. "You could repurpose this for building new equipment for the Octotroopers to use."

Giovanni nodded. "It's where I gathered a lot of the parts for the new-and-improved Octonozzle, too."

"Huh, so this sector really does have its uses," Yvonne remarked. "I just thought it was a dump."

"Anyways, I don't have any reason to stick around in this area." He proceeded over to the next inkrail. "Let's get going."

"That didn't take as long as the first one!" the dark-skinned girl complained. "Is it because you don't have anything to 'reminisce' about?"

The fair-skinned boy bit his lip. "Don't say that again," he threatened.

Yvonne blinked and looked off to the side, guilty. She lowered her head as Octa Prisma proceeded to the next inkrail. Once again, Giovanni shot it to activate it, and he started travelling along it, the others also following him. The next sector was one Iris was all too familiar with—it was the sector she and Brayden grew up in, and it was also where she was stationed before the Calamari Inkantation.

Area 4 of Octo Valley was a humble area, but it had its fair share of traps. One must keep a close eye on the ground, or else they risk falling to the very bottom of the valley, never to be seen again. Thankfully, platforms had been installed to lower the chance of an accident, but they still occurred from time to time. Unfortunately, the installation of the platforms meant that intruders would be more likely to break into any of the underground domes. They were already masked with invisibility technology, but yet, some inklings still manage to break through.

_Like Agent 3._

"Iris?" Brayden called, snapping the fair-skinned girl out of her thoughts. "You there?"

"Sorry," she apologized. "I was just lost in thought. That won't happen again."

They started to wander through the sector some more as waves of nostalgia started to wash over Iris. She both missed and loathed this place.

"There's so many towers," Oscar commented.

"We should climb up one!" Yvonne suggested. She ran towards one of them and prepared to super-jump. "Catch me if you can!"

"Yvonne!" Iris scolded, anger rising up inside of her. "Get back here!" She super-jumped after her, right onto one of the kettles. Both girls had fallen inside, a side-effect of trying to land on grate-like structures with their ink-based bodies. They ended up spawning in a place...that looked exactly like Bluefin Depot.

"Hey, where are we?" the dark-skinned girl wondered out loud. "Isn't this one of those places octoling soldiers guard?"

The girl with poufy hair blinked, scanning the area. Everything was still there. The only thing that ruined the illusion of the two actually being in Bluefin Depot were the flickering skylights—years had disrepair had caused them to slowly lose power. Some of them had even fallen off, revealing the wiring of the dome underneath.

"Uh... Iris?" Yvonne looked up at her teammate. "Are you there?"

"It was here," she muttered.

"Huh?"

"Where everything fell apart."

_A fair-skinned elite octoling paced around the metal grate, observing the lesser octolings with eyes that could pierce through even the toughest of soldiers. In her belt was an Octo Shot, and she held a tablet in her hands. In distance, the golden glow of a zapfish could be seen in the virtual sunset. The elite octoling soon stopped and turned to look at them._

_"Attention," she started. "As you know, the Dreaded grows closer to our lair with each passing day. I trust you all to protect the zapfish with your lives. Even when you face death, you must never back down."_

_"Right!" everyone exclaimed in unison._

_"If you flee, the consequences will be great. Do you understand?" She articulated the words of the last sentence to make them especially clear to the soldiers._

_"I understand," everyone said._

_"Good. Everyone, move out." The group of octolings started disperse, including Iris. She was stopped when another elite pulled on her hand, dragging her towards them. "Except you," the first one said._

_"Huh?" the young octoling gasped. "Why?"_

_"We have an experimental weapon for you to try out," replied the one that grabbed her._

_She blinked her indigo eyes. "Experimental?"_

_The third elite octoling, who had not spoken at all, pulled out a roller with red accents and handed it to the girl. Iris marveled at the weapon. She loved the roller. Even though her only experiences with it had been watching those above her use it. But someone with her ranking, using the coveted roller? It was like a dream come true._

_"We want to see how well a standard octoling soldier can use this weapon," the first elite explained. "For a prodigy such as yourself, we are sure you will have no problem using it."_

_"I..." She trailed off, being at a loss for words. "Thank you. I will not let you down."_

_The second elite nodded. "Now, go hide. We need to be as prepared as possible for when the Dreaded comes."_

_The Dreaded... Iris had heard about her. A terrible inkling, tearing through Octarian forces, leaving nothing but a magenta-stained trail of ink behind in her wrath. The very thought of her made her shudder. She could not be allowed to continue on. She must be stopped._

_The indigo-eyed girl nodded and ran off, turning into an octopus and hugging against the brick wall. She'll never see me coming. She saw ink trails soar through the sky, presumably belonging to the three elites who were super-jumping back to their base. Suddenly, the ambient light of the spawn point and checkpoints shifted from magenta to a light blue. Almost immediately afterwards, a foreign color glowed from behind where they were once standing. A blob emerged from the hijacked spawn point, taking the form of...an inkling._

This _was the Dreaded. Her time to strike had finally come._

_Her fierce eyes scanned the area before stepping off of the platform, a sleek shooter-type weapon in her hands. She aimed it in front of her and started walking down the metal steps, firing ink at her feet. The first octoling to jump out at her was an elite soldier, and the dark-haired woman immediately started to charge towards her. She threw a bomb at her feet, but the intruder only jumped back, throwing out her own bomb in response. Blue ink splattered on the elite octoling's clothes, but that did not faze her. She just continued to fight. Fast as lightning, the Dreaded dodged her shots, soon finishing her off with another few bullets from her weapon. A magenta ghost floated off into the sunset, marking her defeat._

_Underneath her goggles, Iris narrowed her eyes in frustration. Already, the Dreaded had torn through an elite octoling. Though they were connected to their own spawn point, it was certain that the fallen soldier would not return any time soon._

_The inkling continued to walk down the bridge, where a standard octoling emerged from the puddle of magenta ink, located in-between two grates. Slowly, she advanced towards her, firing her Octo Shot. The Dreaded jumped, stumbling backwards, and for a moment, Iris thought they had a chance of winning. Yet, the intruder quickly regained her composure and fired at the soldier, splatting her almost immediately. Iris gasped, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. With no words spoken, she watched as another soldier tried to attack her from below, firing through the grate. Some Octarian ink now dripped from her shorts, but she simply backed up onto solid ground and fired down on the octoling. Again, she splatted rather quickly._

No... _She knew she shouldn't be surprised, given the Dreaded's reputation. But seeing it in real life made it a thousand times more horrifying. Her friends... Her friends that she laughed with, played with, looked up to. They were disappearing, fast. Iris turned into her kid form and stood up, her legs shaking._ I-I have to stop the Dreaded. Now.

_Iris wandered under the bridge, but the Dreaded was already gone. She was following a path of scattered power eggs. A checkpoint lit up once she stepped on it, and the fair-skinned octoling cursed under her breath. She put the roller down to the ground and started to run after her. By the time she reached the checkpoint the inkling had stepped on, the intruder had already entered the nadir, a magenta ghost floating away from where she stood. Another loyal soldier, gone._

_"Do I even need the Bomb Rush?" the Dreaded asked to no one, putting a hand on her headset. She went silent for a few moments, and then she said, "I see. Better to save it."_

_Iris gulped. This was her chance. Her one and only chance to stop the Dreaded, once and for all. It would be so easy. She just needed to approach her and swing her roller down. She was so close to the ledge, so close to dropping down and ambushing the intruder. But... she hesitated. Another octoling jumped over to the side the inkling stood on. She gasped and swung around, pointing her weapon at the soldier. She threw a bomb that exploded on contact with the octoling's skin, and a few shots later, she had splatted as well._

No, no, no... _The fair-skinned girl backed up to the checkpoint. The Dreaded inked a wall with a wooden plank leaning on it and swam up it, turning the bend to face whatever lied ahead._ I can't, I can't! _She jumped down to where the inkling had been standing and felt the ground. It was sticky with blue ink, stinging as it dripped off her fingers. She looked back up at the orange sky, ghosts flying into the sunset. Her terror only grew, but she could not fail her mission. She must not._

_She super-jumped up to a higher level, given that it would be difficult to ink the wall with her roller. The Dreaded was ascending the steps when suddenly, she looked over in Iris's direction. She gasped and hid behind a wall, but that did not end the inkling's curiosity. She started walking over to where the young octoling was hiding. At this point, she had turned into an octopus and hid in a small spot of magenta ink, trembling._

_"I thought I saw something..." the inkling mused, looking around. The enemy ink on her started to evaporate, and her long hair hung loosely at her sides. She held her shooter much like a soldier would, though her stance was rather unpolished. Erratic, if one could describe it._

_She walked up to the ink puddle, Iris growing smaller than she already was. "Was that always there?" she questioned. A bored expression lined her features. Then, she shrugged. "You're right. Well, now it's time to get back on track." The Dreaded walked away, heading back up the metal steps. Yet, the octoling girl still remained, fearful that the inkling would change her mind. More magenta ink rained down around her, the remains of her comrades surrounding her. It was suffocating._

_A voice in the back of her mind was screaming to go stop her, stop this bloodshed. With each and every splat, they only seemed to amplify. Yet, Iris continued to be stuck to the floor like glue. She looked up. Sparks flew in the corner of her eye, and the checkpoints nearby started to power down. The zapfish had been captured. She had failed. She watched a blue trail of ink soar into the atmosphere, out of the dome._

_The wait of her refusal to her act was now finally sinking in. She emerged from the ink puddle and rose to her feet, dropping the roller. The first elite octoling to have been splatted landed in front of her from a super jump, and her mouth formed a circle on sight of the standard soldier._

_"You..." she gasped, her voice whispery. "The one we gave the experimental roller to. You failed."_

_Tears started to well up within her. "I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry is not enough." The elite octoling grabbed her hand. "We'll see what DJ Octavio has to say."_

_"What?!" Iris exclaimed, a tear falling down her cheek. "No! No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"_

_The elite octoling curled her hand into a fist and punched her in the head, everything going to black._

Iris covered her mouth out of reflex, her indigo eyes watering up as she stared down the place.

"Iris...?" Yvonne called. "Hello?" She waved a hand in front of her face.

She glared at the dark-skinned girl, tears stinging her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

It was then Giovanni, Oscar, and Brayden all spawned in around her, startling the fair-skinned girl.

She swung around, placing her feet off of the spawn point, gritting her teeth. "Why did you come?"

"I wanted to see if you were alright," Brayden responded.

"It would be a shame to lose both you and Yvonne here," Giovanni added.

"I was dragged along with them," Oscar finished.

"No one asked," the boy with the mohawk snapped, causing the bronze-skinned octoling to recoil back.

"Could we explore the place?" Yvonne asked, putting a finger up to her mouth.

"Wildflower here doesn't look too hot," the tan-skinned octoling commented, shaking his head.

"Oh, shut up," she hissed, crossing her arms as a small blush bloomed on her cheeks.

"I wouldn't mind checking this place out," the boy with the afro said. "It kinda looks fresh."

"It's modeled after a place in Inkopolis," Iris informed him. "It's gone, now, but the resemblance still stands." A tear started to roll down her cheek, but she simply wiped it away.

"It would be fresh to check it out," Giovanni agreed with the other boy. "I'd like to see more of the Inkopolis of the past, and these domes are the perfect place to do so."

Brayden blinked. "But-"

"I'm the leader." He tapped a boot to the concrete after he stepped off of the spawn point. "We're going."

"Fine." Yvonne and Oscar were quick to follow the green-eyed boy deeper into the depot, but Brayden remained by Iris's side. He gently grabbed her hand and tugged it towards him. "I'm with you," he whispered in her ear. "I'll take you out if it hurts too much."

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "Let's go."

They traversed the familiar scenery, quickly catching up with the others. Ink no longer covered the ground, but there were still objects to mark someone's presence—litter, pieces of metal, other wiring, et cetera. As they approached the nadir, Iris listened in on the trio's conversation further.

"Remember the Calamari Inkantation?" Yvonne chirped.

"The Calamari Inkantation changed my life forever," Giovanni remarked. "I'd never forget it."

"It's where we all met, too," Oscar added. "Without it, I bet we wouldn't be here today."

"I knew you before the inkantation," he huffed. "We were in the same unit."

"I know, I know," he acknowledged. "But it's where we met Yvonne and Iris, too."

The dark-skinned octoling nodded. "We'd still be serving Octavio if it wasn't for the Squid Sisters. And I'd be growing wasabi. Yuck!"

"What's wrong with wasabi?" Oscar frowned. "I like it..."

"How would you feel if you were destined to farm wasabi for your entire life?"

"...Sad."

"Exactly!"

As they continued talking, Iris started to remember her own experience with the Calamari Inkantation. Her imprisonment, the punishment she almost received, and most of all, hearing that heavenly melody, setting her soul free.

_Iris sat in the surprisingly well-kept cell, hunched over and fiddling with her thumbs. An elite octoling walked by and unlocked the glass door, offering her a plate filled with some kind of green mush under the door. She took it and started to eat it, the spicy wasabi burning her tongue. She panted, setting the plate down and waving her hand like a fan. Yet, the elite octoling still remained by her cell door._

_"After you eat, you will meet with DJ Octavio," she informed her. "It is then he will decide your punishment. Remind me of your crime once more."_

_Iris took another bite of the paste and gulped. "Failure to follow orders."_

_The elite octoling smirked. Once the plate was empty, she unlocked the door and took Iris's hand without any resistance. They traversed DJ Octavio's lair, jumping from platform-to-platform. Floating in the Octobot King was DJ Octavio himself, his muscular tentacles crossed and looking down on the Octarian he was speaking to. He fired a missile at the Octarian, knocking them down into the abyss. Power eggs started to float around the spot where they had fallen. Iris approached her leader with tear-streaked cheeks._

_"Iris Thaumo. Gen 89 – Octoling soldier. Member of Wasabi Spice Unit 204." The elite had started to read off of her data file. "Currently located in DJ Octavio's quarters. Birthday: February 21st, 2001. Spawn of Marianne Thaumo. An unexpected prodigy in combat. Promoted to the aforementioned unit just after she graduated at age 14. The same year, she was selected to use the experimental roller against the Squidbeak Splatoon. She did not act when one member of the Splatoon invaded Area 4 Dome 5, resulting in her imprisonment."_

_"Hmm..." was his only response. He lumbered over the dashboard of the machine and stared at Iris with bulging green eyes. "Speak."_

_"I didn't mean to disobey orders," she started with a croak. "I got scared." She fell to her knees, sobbing. "I'm sorry, DJ Octavio! It won't happen again. I'll make sure of it."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "I 'member how much hope the elites had for someone of yer kind. But that's gone now, ya hear?"_

_Her hands began to tremble._ No...!

_"I'll-" Orange glowed from the corner of her eye, causing the giant octopus to pause. He crawled back into the Octobot King and started to fly towards the source. The turbulence from the jets knocked both Iris and the elite octoling off of the floating platform, causing them to fall. Surprisingly, Iris didn't care. She had begun to accept her fate the moment Octavio started to speak his sentence. She closed her eyes, hoping her death would be swift._

_Suddenly, her fall was broken. She fell into something and was then lifted up. Her indigo eyes peered open to see a dark-skinned octoling holding her. Unlike most female octolings she had seen, who all had poufy hair, this girl's hair was curly, reaching her shoulders. A goofy smile was plastered on her face._

_"Hey!" she greeted. "What's a soldier like you doing here?"_

_"I..." She blinked. So, she lived. "You shouldn't have saved me."_

_"Why not?" She tilted her head, confused._

_"I'm horrible and weak." The words felt foreign on her tongue. "I failed to stop the Dreaded."_

_"Really? That's all?" she puzzled._

_"You wouldn't understand," she hissed. "Besides, what are you doing here?"_

_"Oh, I'm delivering wasabi," she explained. "The guy who usually does it got sick, so I'm doing it for him."_

_"Ah... I see."_

_"Anyways, I'm Yvonne Megale of Wasabi Growth Unit 18." She placed Iris down and offered her hand. "You?"_

_"...Iris Thaumo." She took the dark-skinned girl's hand and shook it. "Aren't you chipper." She then narrowed her eyes and looked towards where DJ Octavio had gone. A green light emitted from the bottom of the Octobot King as it sucked the Great Zapfish inside. The speakers began to rotate, bringing Iris and Yvonne closer towards the scene of the battle. Standing just in front of the spawn point was...the Dreaded. She froze, remembering their earlier encounter._

_DJ Octavio placed his wasabi sticks on the turntables of the machine and laughed. "I'ma remix your face, Dreaded!"_

_"Dreaded?" the inkling puzzled. "I... No..."_

_DJ Octavio gave her no time to speak further, as he immediately began to launch some missiles at her. He began to play his hit song, 'I Am Octavio,' through the speakers the lair was covered in. The two girls watched the battle in excitement, with Yvonne cheering DJ Octavio's name._

_She heard footsteps approach her, and she turned around to see two male octolings. The one on the left had bronze skin and an afro, while the one on the right had fair skin, a mohawk, and a fresh notch in his ear. They appeared to be part of the same unit, given how they arrived together. She tapped Yvonne's shoulder, causing her to turn around as well._

_"What are you doing?" the fair-skinned boy asked, his tone hostile._

_"I was watching the battle, what are you doing?" Iris countered._

_"We wanted a better look," the bronze-skinned boy replied. "Doesn't everyone?"_

_"How crowded is it back there?" Yvonne asked._

_"Quite crowded," the boy with the afro responded. "It's a miracle we could get up here."_

_"I-" Octavio let out a cry, interrupting the boy with the mohawk. shifting the group's attention towards him. The machine he rode spun around, and he cursed at the Dreaded before flying away. The inkling, a determined look on her face, hopped on the launchpad that had spawned and flew over towards his direction. They started running towards the edge of the tentacle-like stands in hopes to see the action better._

_"I can't believe it!" Iris exclaimed, upset. "The Dreaded even tears through DJ Octavio!"_

_"Apparently she is known as Agent 3 to inklingkind," the bronze-skinned octoling noted._

_"What?" Yvonne turned to look at him. "'Agent 3?'"_

_"That's what the old man said," he confirmed. "Giovanni and I are part of DJ Octavio's personal wasabi supply unit, so we watch him on our breaks."_

_"He's either insulting Octavio or yapping about the other members of the Squidbeak Splatoon most of the time," the other boy, who Iris assumed to be Giovanni, continued._

_"We assumed the 'Agent 3' he mentioned referred to the Dreaded. And as soon as the Dreaded came, it turns out we were right all along," the first boy finished._

_"So the Dreaded's real name is Agent 3?" the dark-skinned girl puzzled. "I don't know if that's cool or lame."_

_"It's lame," Iris argued. "It makes her seem less scary than she actually is."_

_"It's...cool," Giovanni said. "I like the way she fights."_

_"Despite being the enemy?" she questioned. "You're weird."_

_"Ooh, do you have a crush on her?" Yvonne teased._

_"No!" he snapped. "Just because I admire her doesn't mean I like her!"_

_She giggled. "So... What's your name?"_

_"My name? It's Giovanni Briareus," the fair-skinned boy replied. "I thought you would've picked up on my first name already."_

_"Yeah, I said his name," the bronze-skinned boy agreed. "Anyways, my name is Oscar Margina."_

_"Nice! I'm Yvonne Megale!" she greeted._

_"And I'm Iris Thaumo." She gave a small wave and lowered her hand once more. Another cry sounded from Octavio, and turning around would reveal that the Dreaded had stopped him in his tracks once more. He flew away, but she simply super-jumped after him. Anger threatened to boil out of her skin. "That inkling!" she roared. "I hope she burns for all that she's done!"_

_The other octolings flinched at her declaration. "That's a little harsh, isn't it?" Oscar pointed out._

_"Has she splatted your friends? Has your life been threatened by her?" she screamed, taking a few steps towards the boys. "I can never forgive her for what she's done! I will never let the opportunity to splat her slip by me ever again!"_

_"No..." the boy with the afro muttered._

_"Exactly." She turned back towards the action. "DJ Octavio...better...win," she strained._

_The challenges the Dreaded came across got trickier and tricker every time, but somehow, she did not falter. DJ Octavio managed to blast her with the Killer Wail at one point, giving Iris a brief moment of hope. But, the inkling simply respawned at the checkpoint, much to her frustration. She pummeled Octavio with the fists of his own machine, and soon, he was spinning again, the music finally dying out. The crowd had gotten eerily silent._

_Suddenly, the stereo crackled, and DJ Octavio's music was suddenly replaced by two inklings singing, accompanied by a pop-like beat. Iris saw the Dreaded's mouth open in a gasp._

_"What's this?" the giant octopus questioned as he started to dance. "Where mah beats?!"_

_A voice spoke through the speakers, catching Iris off-guard. "Agent 3? Can you hear our song?" Her voice was a little garbled._

_"You've got it upside down!" another voice chastised her._

_"'Our song?' Isn't this by the Squid Sisters?" the inkling questioned. "But yeah, I can hear it."_

_"Uh..." The second voice trailed off._

_"Huh? What's this?!" the old inkling called from a different location. He broke free from the ropes binding him and started dancing as well. "That heavenly melody... It's the one and only_ Squid Sisters _!"_

_"Don't you ever worry your granddaughters like that again!" the first voice scolded the elder._

_"Agent 3! Take care of Gramps for us, 'kay?" the second voice then requested._

_"I'm confused..." the Dreaded said, scratching her head._

_"We'll explain later," she added._

_"Final push! Chaaarge!" the first voice exclaimed._

_"Oh! Right!" The intruder turned into a squid on the launchpad and flew away, towards Octavio._

_Suddenly, Iris didn't care anymore about if her leader lost. In fact, she wanted the Dreaded to win out of all people. Suddenly, she didn't feel as if the world was weighing on her shoulders. Suddenly, she started to see visions of a bright future on the surface. Suddenly, she felt unsatisfied with the way things worked in Octarian society._

_Suddenly, she wanted to be free._

_"This song..." Oscar murmured. He took off his goggles, revealing orange eyes. "It really is heavenly."_

_"Calamari Inkantaion," Giovanni said._

_"What?" Yvonne looked at him._

_"Calamari Inkantation; that's the title," he repeated. "I don't know how I know it. It's like a long-lost memory came back to my brain."_

_"I..." Iris looked down at her feet. "You're right." The other two octolings murmured in agreement._

_Suddenly, she felt her feet shuffle about, her body grooving along with the beat. "What's with this song?" she asked to no one, her voice breaking out in laughter._

_"We need to leave," the bronze-skinned boy concluded, "but I want to hear this song through first."_

_"Same," the dark-skinned girl agreed. She then remarked, "I can't believe everything I thought was wrong..."_

_Iris continued to dance, the rhythm flowing through her body. Looking around, other Octarians were dancing, too. Even the lesser Octarians such as a plain old Octotrooper. She could swear she saw Marina Ida in the crowd of octolings, too. The Calamari Inkantation appeared to be affecting everyone, no matter their status in the army._

_Soon, DJ Octavio was launched into the Octobot King. It started to spin around before exploding, splattering orange ink everywhere. Left behind was an unconscious Octavio and the Great Zapfish. It stared at the Dreaded for a few seconds before flying out of the giant octopus's lair. The force from the explosion wasn't enough to splat anyone, but some still got on the Octarians that had managed to get a front-row view, Iris and friends included. She wiped the ink off her goggles and took them off, blinking._

_Giovanni took his off as well, grabbing Oscar's and tossing them both into the abyss. "Don't need those anymore."_

_"We need to get out of here before more elite octolings come to see what happened," Iris declared._

_Just as she said that, however, the room broke out in a frenzy to escape the lair. Octolings upon octolings started to pile upon each other, trying to find a way out. Some lesser Octarians were caught in the crossfire, being swept off the platforms and into the abyss. And there were octolings falling off, too. There were quite a few octolings laying low as well, hiding under debris. Without any hesitation, Yvonne rushed to the exit, much to Iris's chagrin._

_"There's another way out," Giovanni informed them. "It's meant for emergencies, but this is enough of an emergency."_

_"Hey, I've been here longer than you," Oscar badgered. "I know it better."_

_"Take me to the emergency exit," Iris demanded. "I don't care; just get me out of here."_

_"We'll all get out of here," the boy with the mohawk promised. "I'll make sure of it."_

_"What about Yvonne?" the boy with the afro questioned._

_"She left our group; that isn't important." He turned into an octopus, preparing to super-jump. "Follow me."_

_They super-jumped from platform-to-platform, until they reached a platform close to the bottom of the dome. She could faintly see the remnants of the abyss's victims at the bottom, but they were hard to make out. Giovanni pressed on the wall, and a panel swung open, revealing the night sky outside._

_"You can thank me later," he requested with a smirk. "Now, go."_

_"You first," Oscar said, bowing._

_"Why not you two? You led me here," Iris perplexed._

_"It's ladies' first, isn't it?" he teased._

_Iris looked back outside. The drop was far, but the flying object seemed to get closer to the sectors with each passing second. She turned her head to say thank you, but her mouth simply hung open when she saw more octolings arrive behind the boys._

_"Uh..."_

_"What are you waiting for?" Giovanni scolded. "Go!"_

_Oscar turned around and gasped. "Behind you!"_

_"What?" He turned around to see the crowd rushing towards him. He let out a cry and pushed both Iris and Oscar out of the exit. Iris watched as the octolings piled upon him, trying to escape out the door._

_"_ Giovanni! _" the boy with the afro cried, reaching a gloved hand out for him. He retracted it and frowned. "Why did he do that?!"_

_"Well, thanks to him, we're gonna go splat on the ground," she complained. "If only we had something to super-jump on..."_

_He scanned the area. "I don't see anything nearby."_

_Suddenly, Iris had an idea. "Use me!"_

_"What?!" He snapped his attention to her, orange eyes bewildered._

_"I was supposed to be executed," she explained, her eyelids heavy. "I deserve to be down there..."_

_"You're gonna throw away your second chance?" he perplexed. "I would take it if I were you."_

_"A second chance..." The visions she had received listening to Calamari Inkantation flashed in her head again. A world without anything to stress over. "I..."_

_"Well, guess I'll use you, then."_

_"Wha-" He grabbed Iris and pulled her towards him before turning into an octopus and super-jumping off of her chest. The force only elevated her fall speed, and she started to scream._ I'm not dying here!

_She was caught in some wires, breaking her fall and electrocuting her. She froze up as the sensation surged through her body, and in an instant, it was gone. She untangled herself and plopped to the ground. Low behold, she was now in Area 3. She thought about staying, but then she remembered her new mission. She turned to the edge of the valley, where the octopus-shaped rock formation rested._

_"Hmm..." She super-jumped over to one of the tentacles, scraping herself against the slate. Ignoring the pain, she jumped from tentacle to tentacle, until she had gotten to the top of the octopus's mantle. From here, she could see a city. Inkopolis, home of the inklings._

_And soon, it would be her home as well._

Another tug on her hand. Iris looked over at Brayden, who stared into her indigo eyes.

"The others found something," he explained. "C'mon, let's go check it out."

"I hope it's useful," she complied.

The duo walked over to where Giovanni, Oscar, and Yvonne where standing. It was around the bend, where one could drop into the right nadir of Bluefin Depot. Against the metal wall was a trembling box.

"Look at this," the green-eyed boy jeered. "It's alive."

"Ooh, what if there's like... a little gnome?" the yellow-eyed girl suggested. "That'd be cute!"

"Those pointy things squids keep digging up?" Brayden puzzled. "Doubt they can be alive."

"Well, let's see." Oscar grabbed the sides of the crate and picked it up. Contrary to Yvonne's prediction, it was not a living decoration. In fact, it was a girl. Underneath the box was a pale-skinned octoling, with two of her purple tentacles tied up into a ponytail. She wore the old octoling uniform, though her goggles were slung around her neck. Her arms were hugging her knees close to her body, her purple fingertips especially notable. Upon sight of the group, her eyes widened.

"That gear..." she muttered. "It looks like ones I've seen in magazines from Inkopolis."

"Yeah," noted Brayden. "We live there."

She gasped. "You got to the promised land?" She stood up. "Do you know someone named Peony?"

"...Peony?" asked Giovanni, scratching his head. "Promised land...? I have no idea who or what you're talking about."

"Peony's my sister," the purple-haired octoling began to explain. "About a year ago she fell into some hole, and so, I called her on the walkie talkie a few days later. She didn't know who I was at first, but after a little bit, she explained that she lost her memories and was now collecting 'thangs' to go to the promised land, AKA the surface. The last time I spoke to her was after she collected the last thang, so I bet she got a fresh-looking cellphone after she arrived in the promised land and now lives with the inklings!"

"You're a talker, aren't ya," Iris grumbled with a sigh. "Look, what's your name?" she asked, annoyed.

"Peyton Wunder," she responded.

"Nice to meet ya, Peyton," Brayden greeted, reaching out a hand. "I'm Brayden."

"Only Brayden?" Regardless, she took his hand and shook it.

"Err, Pallidus," he added. "I don't use it much anymore."

"You don't use surnames in the promised land?" she puzzled.

"Only in official things, I've learned," Giovanni admitted. "No one wants to hear 'Briareus' on a regular basis up there."

"'Briareus?' Ooh, I've heard about that name!" Peyton enthused. "Ada Briareus, hero in the Great Turf War!"

"I know," he sighed. "I used to hear it all the time."

Iris sighed. "So, you're also a history nut."

"Oh, yeah, I love history! Even if it sucked for the Octarians," she started once more. "But I want to rewrite history in the promised land! Make inklings and octolings live together again!"

"It's going pretty well so far," the blue-eyed boy assured. "You'll love it."

"In fact, why don't you join our team?" Giovanni offered. "Octa Prisma. We've been looking for a purple member anyways."

"A... team?" She smiled. "I would love to."

"Great!" Yvonne helped Peyton to her feet and pumped a fist. Standing, she was an inch taller than Iris. "Let's go back to Inkopolis!"

Iris nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to look at this place any longer. The sooner we leave, the better."

Everyone nodded and super-jumped out of the dome. They emerged on top of the tower looked towards Area 1, where the manhole leading to Inkopolis Plaza was located. They launched over there once more, landing in front of the cabin. Giovanni gestured for Peyton to follow him, and he dove into the grate. After she slipped through it, the other members of Octa Prisma followed her out. They arrived back in the plaza, where they walked towards the train station. They took a train to the square, where they emerged a few minutes later. They started walking to the more populated place of Inkopolis Square, where inklings simply hung out, chatting among themselves and texting away on their phones.

"This is the Galleria," Oscar explained. "You can buy the freshest things here."

"Oh! They won't accept you if you're not fresh enough!" Yvonne added. "So you'll have to go level up!"

"...Fresh? Level up?" Peyton looked around, nervous. "I don't understand."

"Welcome to the surface," Iris deadpanned.

"It took a while for me to understand how Inkopolis worked," Giovanni admitted. "But you'll get it quickly. Besides, turf wars are _really_ fun."

"They are? I'll be the judge of that." Before any of them could say any more, the purple-haired octoling suddenly looked over towards a knocked-over trash can. A jellyfish was walking over to it to set it back up. "Wait!" she called out, still speaking Octarian. She ran over to the can and grabbed something that had spilled from its contents. A broken Tri-Slosher, with a few holes in the plastic and the handle snapped in two. "This looks neat!"

The indigo-eyed girl blinked. "It looks terrible."

"I could fix it," Brayden offered.

"Or you could just go to Ammo Knights and trade it out for a new Tri-slosher," Oscar suggested.

"Is that where they sell weapons?" she asked. The boy with the afro nodded.

"Right there," he directed, pointing at the weapons shop. "It's part of the Galleria, so you can't go in there without being fresh."

"I'll trade it for you," Giovanni announced, swiping the slosher out of Peyton's hands. He pushed the door of Ammo Knights open and entered the shop. A few minutes later, he came out with a brand-new Tri-Slosher and gave it to the newcomer.

"Wow! This looks even better!" she exclaimed, examining it.

"It's new," Oscar pointed out.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Iris grumbled, shaking her head.

"How about we treat you to a few turf wars?" the green-eyed boy offered, following his statement with a wink. "It's the least I can do."

Peyton nodded. She walked up to Giovanni and stayed by his side and walked towards the Deca Tower. Oscar and Yvonne looked at each other before racing off after him. Now, it was only Brayden and Iris, alone in the square.

The indigo-haired octoling glanced over towards the Crust Bucket, where many inklings gathered, including themselves and the Rainbow Squids. They were back at their usual spots, chatting away. The blue-haired octoling started to walk towards them before Iris grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Not now," she whispered.

He raised an eyebrow. "What? What harm would it do?"

"I don't want to talk to them," she hissed.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. We'll walk to the car." She smirked and ran off towards the parking space near Inkopolis Square. "Hey! Wait up!"

Eventually, Brayden caught up, now outpacing Iris by quite a bit. However, just before they reached the parking lot, the boy suddenly grabbed the girl's shirt sleeve and pulled her into the nearest alleyway. She yelped, surprised at the sudden action. Now, she was staring into his blue eyes, a blush creeping up his cheeks. He pulled down his face mask, revealing a nervous expression.

"What do you want, Brayden?" she demanded.

"I..." He trailed off. "Just let me have this."

"Have what?" Iris raised an eyebrow. The boy's blush continued to grow, his lip quivering.

"I..." He diverted her gaze, turning his head away from her. "...No. Not without telling you first." His hands started to tremble as well as he muttered something under his breath.

 _Does he...?_ Iris did not take very long to ponder on her thoughts. "Just spit it out!"

"I wanted to keep it a secret," he started, "but now that I'm on your team, now that I get to battle by your side every day... It's getting harder and harder to hide it."

"Brayden... No, Ray." Iris plopped her hands on his shoulders. He looked back towards her, his blush getting larger. "You're the only person that truly cares about me." She rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "When I was all alone, you were there for me. And you went out of your way to make sure I was OK."

He let out an uneasy laugh. "I wanted to make you happy."

She smiled. "I want you to be happy too." As she remembered more about her past, she frowned. "When I was sent away to join the battle unit, I was devastated. I never thought I lose my best friend. I thought the other soldiers in my unit were my friends, but now I realize... They weren't. They never cared about if I died or not. They only saw me as another asset. And young, stupid, naïve." Tears pricked her eyes. "But I'm not anymore. But I still feel like the worst thing in the world. I thought ragging on the inklings would make me feel better, but it didn't. Sometimes I feel bad for them, but Calamari Inkantation or not, I still can't deny what Agent 3 did to me." She laughed and looked up at Brayden. "You're the person I look forward to every day. I can forget about everything for a while when I'm with you."

The blue-haired octoling wiped a tear from her eye. "Then may I?" His blue eyes drifted towards her lips. All Iris gave was a simple nod, and then they leaned towards each other, locking lips. The kiss went on for a while, lasting until the indigo-haired girl felt a raindrop fall on her head. She leaned back and looked up at the sky. The clouds were getting darker by the second, the rain steadily getting faster.

"...Shoot," Brayden realized. He grabbed Iris's hand and ran out of the alleyway, towards the parking lot once more. "We're gonna splat if we stay out here any longer!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" she yelled in agreement. "We can continue in the car!"

He looked back at her, eyes widening. "I'm sorry, I think I've had enough for today!"

Iris's face went bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cried, her eyes watering again.

"Don't be!" he assured. "We can continue another time!"

She gave a quick nod. They then reached the car. The blue-haired boy pulled out his car key and unlocked it, and they both crawled inside, heavily breathing. Resting her head on the dashboard, Iris then started to chuckle.

"It's weird," she admitted, "to think my best friend is now my boyfriend."

He pulled up his face mask, but the blush was still there. "Yeah."

"Let's not tell the Rainbow Squids," she proposed.

"Huh?" He blinked. "If you say so. Don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets."

"I know you are." She leaned back in her head, processing recent events. Despite everything, she felt...good. Even when she recalled the other members of her team—Giovanni, Oscar, Yvonne, and now Peyton. She felt that they were her friends now, too. And if the Rainbow Squids ever found out about her relationship with Brayden, she worried it would be used against her in the future. But she felt confident right now that she could defeat them all. Even Agent 3.

All she needed was a little extra help from her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Welcome to the longest chapter yet. And I thought nothing would surpass "Let's Finish This!". There were quite a few differences between the early version and the final version, but overall, I'm happy with how this chapter came out. I hope this sheds some light on how Octa Prisma acts when the Rainbow Squids aren't around, as well as some backstory! Woo! Anyways, if you've been looking at my profile, you'll know that the Season 3 premiere will come out on September 6th, or this Sunday! I'm so glad Season 3 is finally coming; there are some big things planned... Well, hope to see you then!


	60. Rising Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy encounters a familiar inkling during his night shift.

__

_Roy's PoV_

In the days since the Rainbow Squids' trip down into the subway, not much had happened.

The day after they explored the place, March 28th, was Perry's birthday. He didn't ask for anything for his birthday, but the Rainbow Squids had to get him something, as per tradition. Respecting his wishes, everyone pitched in their extra cash and bought him a better microphone. He happily accepted the gift, immediately making a new rap song with the new microphone. To no one's surprise, it was about his birthday.

However, the Vigilante had returned the same day, and he was back to his usual ways, making girls fall for him. Though Inigo started to disappear again, he still showed up to the Rainbow Squids' table every other day, chatting. He still remained silent on just where he was going, but on the flipside, the Vigilante had not appeared as much as he used to. People on Squidsagram began to theorize on just what the mysterious inkling had been doing on his off days, but there was not much trouble stirring up about him other than that. Unlike last time, the roller he used did not appear to be stolen from Sheldon.

Now, it was April 2nd, almost a week after they ventured into the subway. And still, everything was calm.

"So, what do you think about the Vigilante?" Inigo asked, smiling. "He's pretty fresh, right?"

"Uh..." Octavia started. She and Yuri glanced at each other, nervous. "Y-Yeah, he's pretty fresh, all right." The other inklings gave nods of agreement.

"Did you hear about the _huge_ sale at the Galleria?" Bonnie asked. "It's a few weeks from now, but they just announced it today!"

"I know," Roy said. "Everyone's heard about it."

"It's all over Squidsagram," Alexis added. "I can't wait to get my hands on some fresh new shoes!" She stood up and pointed at her feet, highlighting the sandals she wore. "These don't really fit me anymore. Literally and metaphorically."

"I'm gonna buy a _ton_ of clothes!" Via enthused. "Even if I go broke, I gotta have new clothes!"

"...I'm sticking with these clothes," the red-haired boy muttered. "I like them." He rolled his eyes. "Plus, I don't think I'm getting any taller. Or bigger."

"I dunno, ya _could_ gain weight," Perry pointed out. "Just eat a lot."

"That's unhealthy," the blue-haired girl countered.

"Not unless it's vegetables." The purple-haired inkling winked.

"Ew, vegetables..." The tan-skinned inkling grimaced before recomposing himself. "Anyways, I have a stupid night shift today."

"A night shift?" Inigo questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Why a night shift?" Yuri asked.

"'Cause my boss said it'll be 'experience.'" He accented the last word with air quotes. "I could be doing much better things, but no, it _has_ to be a night shift."

"We could do some turf wars, if that'll cheer ya up," the dark-skinned boy suggested.

"Turf wars..." He smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"

"Great! Let's go!"

* * *

Later, the red-haired boy was well into his night shift.

As the clock neared midnight, Roy only got more and more jumpy. His night shift was almost over, and finally, he could go home and go to sleep. He only had to wait a little longer. The cashier handed him a slip containing the next order—some bread rolls, along with coffee filled with cream. He thought the drink was peculiar, but he simply shrugged it off and began brewing the drink. He opened a few packets of cream and poured them into the cup before mixing it. Once it was done, he glanced at the slip again for the name.

 _Hmm..._ He blinked lazily, struggling to read the name clearly. Roy rubbed his eyes and scribbled the word onto the cup and setting it down. He then grabbed some freshly-baked rolls and stuffed them into the bag. Finally, he grabbed the coffee again and walked over to the pick-up counter. He called the name on the order slip, and a green-haired inkling girl walked up to claim it.

The girl jumped when their eyes met. "Roy!" she exclaimed. The tan-skinned boy scanned her for a moment. She wore a hero suit and a cape, which meant there was only one person she could possibly be—Agent 3.

"That's me." Suppressing a yawn, he pushed her order towards her. "Enjoy."

Agent 3 hesitated for a little bit before nodding. "Thank you." She took her food and sat down at a table.

About ten minutes later, the clock struck midnight, ending Roy's shift. He did an unenthusiastic cheer and went to the back room to take off the employee's apron. He grabbed his varsity jacket, replacing it with the apron on the rack. Not bothering to button it, he walked out and started heading out the door. Coincidentally, it was then the green-haired girl started to leave, too. The two started walking side-by-side each other, remaining silent initially.

"So..." Roy started to finally break the awkward silence. "You come to Starfish Drinks, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied bluntly. "I don't see why that's important."

"I see..." _I wish I had more to talk about,_ he scolded himself.

The two continued walking, with Agent 3 drinking her coffee. Street lights hung above them, flickering every-so-often. Some of the late-time dwellers stared at them with hostile eyes. A shark leaned against the side of a building, tossing a Tentacola can in his hand, while next to him was a sea urchin, hands in her pockets. It was unsettling, but since the inklings were together, Roy doubted that they would dare try to attack them.

Suddenly, a figure appeared from the alleyway, jumping out in front of them. Agent 3 almost dropped her drink, but she regained her composure and pulled out her Hero Shot, aiming it at the newcomer. The figure also wore a hero suit...or rather, a hero costume. Tinted shades obscured his eyes. The lights on the headset glowed red, and while he was hunched over at first, he stood up straight and threw a roller over his shoulder, smirking.

"Who are you?!" the long-haired inkling demanded.

"The Vigilante..." Roy growled.

"Correct," the Vigilante confirmed. "I'm glad squids know me."

"Well, I don't," Agent 3 protested. "Explain yourself. Why are ya dressed like that? What's with the roller?"

"Like a... friend said, 'You're asking the wrong questions.'" The boy with a ponytail approached them, the barrel of the Hero Shot now pressing against his chest. "I mean, I could answer them, but you gotta have the mystery-" He wiggled the fingers on his free hand, interrupting his sentence. "-Y'know."

"Then I'll explain," the boy with hair swept to the side interjected. "He basically tries to get girls to fall in love with him because he's 'mysterious.' And it works, for some reason. Though he has some ulterior motives, I just know it."

"That's... Ew," she commented, glancing over at Roy momentarily. She returned her attention to the Vigilante and asked, "What do ya want?"

"You see, I'm looking for someone. And you just happen to fit the description," he replied.

"You could be looking for _anyone_. Why me specifically?"

"I have a hunch it's you."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"Then why don't we settle it in battle?" He stepped out of the way and bowed. "If I win, you'll have to come with me. If not, then you can leave."

"A battle?" Agent 3 blinked. "Like, a turf war?"

"I dunno, you pick the mode."

"No, you pick. I can handle whatever you throw at me."

"Then how about..." The Vigilante smirked. "Clam Blitz."

"Wha...?" The green-haired girl lowered her Hero Shot and put a hand on her head. "What's Clam Blitz?"

"It's a new ranked mode," Roy interjected to give an explanation. "Basically, you have to collect clams to make a power clam, and then you have to get to the other team's basket and throw the power clam at it, which will let you throw normal clams in."

"Whoever gets the most points wins," the inkling with the ponytail finished.

"Huh. Seems easy enough." She looked down at herself, then back at the Vigilante. "I'll have to change, though. This is a little too OP for a normal match."

"So will I." He turned to face Roy. "Will you join in?"

"No, I'm tired," he responded. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair."

"Then why don't you watch?" he offered. "You can be the referee."

"Alright, I'll be the referee."

"Good." The Vigilante turned around and started walking towards the Deca Tower. "Follow me."

The three inklings walked into Inkopolis Square, which was practically empty right now, save for a few jellyfish. Judd and L'il Judd were sleeping on the bench nearby the tower. No one would dare wake them up. They entered the tower and started traveling towards the changing rooms. Both Agent 3 and the Vigilante placed their hands on two separate interfaces, allowing two separate doors to open before them. They walked inside, leaving Roy alone.

The Vigilante was the first to emerge a few minutes later, wearing the gear he was known to wear in ink battles. Of course, he wore his tinted shades, but he also wore a black anchor tee and the N-Pacer Ag. He still wielded the peculiar roller, widely-believed to be a recolored Carbon Roller following the return of the new Hero Roller to Sheldon. He kept his ink color red—it was a deeper red than Roy's, but both inklings had unmistakably red hair. Agent 3 emerged a little later, donning studio headphones like Yuri, a black Squideye tee, and punk whites. She kept her green ink color and the Hero Shot, though this particular weapon appeared to be a replica.

"I'm not wearing my normal gear," the inkling girl warned. "They're...elsewhere."

"Neither am I," the Vigilante admitted. "Except for the shoes. I always wear them."

"Huh, I used to wear these shoes all the time," she mused, looking down at her feet. "Then the punk blacks came out."

"Can we stop yapping 'bout gear and get to the match?" Roy snapped. "I need to sleep."

"Oh, yeah." Agent 3 walked past them towards the elevators. "Let's go."

The three of them entered a private lobby, where the Vigilante proceeded to set the mode to Clam Blitz. "You pick the stage," he told the fair-skinned girl.

"Arowana Mall," she requested.

"Arowana Mall? OK." He proceeded to set up all the other details, including making Roy a spectator in the match. A couple minutes later, the elevator door closed, and they began descending into the tower. It did not take long before the elevator stopped, allowing the floor beneath their feet to slide open, revealing a grate. The inklings slipped through them, and they were all taken to their next destination.

Roy emerged from a grate, where he then super-jumped to the sidelines of Arowana Mall. Pulling up a chair, he sat down on it, allowing him to observe the battlefield from above. On one side, Agent 3 rested on the spawn point as a green squid, while on the other side rested the Vigilante in the form of a red squid.

"OK," the tan-skinned boy started, grabbing a megaphone and speaking into it. Both inklings transformed into their kid form. "Ready? Three, two, one... GO!"

The Vigilante did a vertical flick with his roller, creating a path, while on the other hand, Agent 3 started inking the area around her with her Hero Shot Replica. The boy immediately started to collect clams, while the girl simply stared at the clams that were resting on the ground. She glanced up at where Roy was sitting and pointed at it.

"Pick it up!" he directed with the megaphone. "You need ten to make a power clam!"

Her lips formed an 'oh' and she picked up the cluster of clams, which were now trailing behind her as she continued to ink the area. The red-eyed boy returned his attention to the Vigilante, who had just created a power clam. He ran up to the top of the ramp and started heading towards the basket. Agent 3 was quick to notice his arrival, inking the steel ramp next to her and swimming up it. Before he could throw it, she pelted him with two burst bombs, splatting him. The power clam fell from his grasp, into the water below. With confidence, she smirked and submerged back into the ink. The long-haired girl emerged a few seconds later and started advancing into the enemy base.

 _Impressive,_ he marveled. Though, he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised—Agent 3 was responsible for the successful defeat of the boss down in the subway, after all. Without her, the Rainbow Squids would have been calamari. Roy shook his head, focusing his attention on the match once more. The long-haired inkling had progressed further into the Vigilante's side of the map, though not for long. With one vertical swing, she was immediately splatted from the recolored Carbon Roller. Four of the clams she carried fell to the pavement, while the other clams shattered upon impact. The boy with the ponytail quickly picked them up and started inking the map back up. Gradually, red ink dominated Arowana Mall. Eventually, he started picking up more clams and formed a power clam, allowing him to start swimming towards the other team's basket.

However, Agent 3 was lurking right around the corner. Just as the Vigilante crossed the bridge, she emerged from a puddle of green ink and splatted him on the spot. Sighing, Roy leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs. The match was not very exciting, and on top of that, he was already tired. About halfway through the battle, however, Agent 3's clam basket finally broke as the Vigilante punted the power clam towards it. The rubber protecting it popped, allowing him to throw a few more clams into the basket. He then jumped down to the area below to gather more clams, but his luck ran out when the green-haired girl climbed over the ramp. She glanced up at the basket before charging towards the fair-skinned boy, splatting him with a burst bomb and a few shots from her Hero Shot Replica.

"Yes!" the tan-skinned inkling cheered, grinning under his skull bandana. _Maybe Agent 3 can make a comeback!_

The long-haired inkling started inking the surrounding area once more, when the barrier surrounding her basket regenerated. A green power clam fell from the top, landing in front of the pole holding the basket up. She swam up the ramp and grabbed it. She proceeded to shoot ink at the sponge, inflating it and allowing her to take a back route. She popped out at the middle, where the Vigilante was advancing. She launched herself from the ramp and prepared a Splashdown. She rocketed towards the ground, catching the boy with the ponytail off-guard and splatting him. Her advance showed no signs of slowing down as she climbed up to the enemy's basket, throwing the power clam she obtained at it and destroying the barrier. She grabbed the surrounding clams and tossed them into the basket, the point count now rivaling her opponent's. Just as Agent 3 was about to throw in the clam that would let her take the lead, the Vigilante leaped from the top of the wall, slamming his roller down on her and splatting her. A green ghost floated away as he lifted his roller, throwing it over his shoulder. The barrier regenerated, creating a power clam for the Vigilante to take.

"C'mon, Agent 3, you can do it!" Roy continued to cheer, yelling into the megaphone.

The fair-skinned boy had stopped in the middle of the map, looking over at the sidelines where the other boy was. "What?! Why aren't you supporting me?"

"Well, Agent 3's a hero, apparently," he explained.

"And _I'm_ the Vigilante! I bring justice to the streets of Inkopolis!"

"No, you don't. Unless hitting on girls is your way of bringing justice."

"I bring justice to my boss, too. If I can bring Agent 3 to her, then she can finally have what she wants!"

Roy blinked. "You have a boss? Since when?"

"Since forever! Why else would I have this roller?"

"Alright, but I have more important questions. What does your boss want?"

"I... don't know, actually," he admitted. "But I'm sure it's worthwhile." He shook his head. "I'm getting distracted. I'm in the lead, and I need to win."

"Well, if you want to win, fight!"

"OK, I know that." The Vigilante grimaced and started walking across the bridge, towards Agent 3's clam basket. However, she pulled the same move she did earlier to stop him—she emerged from the ink and immediately shot him down. She grabbed the power clam he had dropped and tossed it into the water below, destroying it. Roy thought about calling her out before remembering that the other inkling wouldn't be able to grab it before it disappeared anyways.

Once again, the match turned repetitive. Back-and-forth were the two inklings exchanging splats, none of them able to throw another power clam in. Things were looking grim for Agent 3—if she couldn't get another power clam into the Vigilante's basket, she would lose. And then she would have to follow along with the mysterious inkling's plan.

With only twenty seconds left on the clock, the green-haired girl attempted one final push to throw in a power clam. She grabbed the tenth clam she needed, creating the giant clam-filled ball. Instead of crossing the bridge over to the basket, she took an alternate route. She dove right into enemy territory, creating a trail of ink for her to swim in. She approached the ramp leading straight up to the basket and swam up it. She emerged at the top, throwing the power clam at the basket. Roy shot out of his seat, eager to see her take the lead.

...Only for her to miss.

The tan-skinned boy's face fell. It landed only a few inches away from the clam basket, much to his dismay. Agent 3 picked it right back up, but as she aimed it, something crashed down on her back. The Vigilante's Carbon Roller. She exploded into red ink, leaving a puddle behind where she stood. Her gear sunk into the ground, and now the Vigilante maintained a firm stance on her grave. He kicked the green power clam aside, causing it to roll into the water. A whistle blew, ending the match.

As soon as the inkling girl respawned, Roy began to yell the results into his megaphone. "The winner is the Vigilante! 38 points to Agent 3's 35 points!"

The long-haired inkling frowned upon hearing the announcement. "I... lost."

"Well, don't cry about it. Let's get back to the Deca Tower," the boy with the ponytail declared.

All three inklings proceeded to super-jump back to their original location. As the match was not officially judged by Judd, no results showed up on the screen. It wasn't like it would count, anyways—it was a private battle, after all. They exited the private lobby and headed towards the changing rooms, where the fair-skinned inklings changed back to their original gear.

"Ah, cape," Agent 3 mused, looking at her sides. "How I've missed you." She returned her attention to the boys. "Good game," she complimented the Vigilante. "You were tougher than I thought."

"Thanks." He smiled. "I could say the same about you, but you were a little easier than I thought you would be. Actually, the way you fight reminds me of someone..."

"I-I remind you of someone?" she stuttered, an uneasy smile crossing her lips.

He nodded. "My first girlfriend. She got to S+ before anyone else on my team. She was an absolute monster in combat with that Splattershot. And the way you act, too. Her shell was tough to crack, but once you get through it, you'll see a squid that cares the world about you."

 _Like Geneva,_ Roy realized. His description of his ex matched up with his missing teammate. Even more worrying was how Alexis was starting to mirror her. She had climbed the ranks rapidly, having just achieved A+ in Rainmaker the other day. She had grown to become more closed off following Geneva's departure, but she was still like her old self underneath her grumpiness.

Agent 3 blinked and frowned, looking at the ground. "She ended your relationship, didn't she?"

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"I have a hunch. Just like you had a hunch about me being the squid you're looking for."

"Oh, yeah. I nearly forgot." He offered his hand to the hero. "You lost, so you have to follow up on your promise."

Her tired eyes blinked, and she reached out her hand towards his. Instead of taking it, however, she retracted it and gave him a swift kick in the crotch. He howled in pain and crumpled to the ground, covering himself. Roy flinched, taking a few steps back as a result of the sudden event. With the Vigilante left vulnerable, Agent 3 dashed towards the subway entrance outside of the tower.

"Sorry!" she yelled as she darted away.

The tan-skinned boy returned his red eyes to the Vigilante, who still lied on the ground. "Roy..." he groaned. He took off his tinted shades to reveal indigo eyes. "Help me..."

"Inigo?!" Roy gasped. " _You're_ the Vigilante?!"

"I know, I know," he confirmed. "Keep quiet; it's supposed to be a secret." Sighing, he helped Inigo to his feet. Roy stared at him for a few moments before slapping him across the face. A red mark glowed where he had been hit. "Ow! You do know what just happened, right?"

"What the shell were you thinking?" he scolded. "Stealing that Hero Roller-"

"I _didn't_ steal it," he interrupted with a counter. "It was a gift."

"OK, knowing you, I'll believe you. But still, that doesn't top the list of things you've done as the Vigilante. Like, you're treating girls like trash."

"I'm just having fun with this secret identity. And it's working a lot better than the old way."

"And, is your boss Tiffany? Your 'love expert.' She encouraged this!"

"Yeah; I don't see the problem with that."

Roy let out a sigh of exasperation. _He didn't hear Asher's warning,_ he remembered. "Well, Tiffany is Asher's crazy ex. She's passing down her methods to you!"

"What? That's not true!" he protested, his eyes widening. "She would never do that! She wouldn't!"

"It is! She's manipulating you!" He put his tanned hands on Inigo's shoulders. "Please, Inigo. This isn't like you!"

"I-I..."

"Inigo, please! You have to trust me."

He stared up at him with indigo eyes before freeing himself from Roy's grasp. "I'm going home," he announced, putting his tinted shades back on. The Vigilante started to walk away, leaving the red-haired boy alone.

"I..." The inkling with hair swept to the side trailed off. What despair he had was now being replaced by anger. Anger at Inigo's stubbornness. Anger at how he's changed for the worse. Anger at...

" _Tiffany,_ " he muttered. "She's the reason why I'm losing my friend." Clenching a fist, he raised it and punched the metal wall. Though it didn't even leave a dent in it, his knuckles now stung.

"Splat you, Tiffany Teuthis! I'll make sure you'll never hurt anyone ever again!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Season 3! What do you guys think? Sorry this is a little late; I don't exactly feel the best at the moment. Now, the next two chapters go together, so they'll be released side-by-side. The next chapter, "A Shadow of a Friend," will be released Saturday, while "Hold Your Seahorses" will be released next Sunday. Isn't that neat? See you then!


	61. A Shadow of a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia, Bonnie, and Alexis help a newbie win her first turf war.

_Octavia's PoV_

Emerging from Shella Fresh, Octavia hugged the new box of shoes she had bought, Bonnie and Alexis trailing not far behind her. The Krak-On logo was plastered onto the box, and inside were brand new Clownfish Basics—she had outgrown her old pair.

"Why are you so excited?" the short-haired inkling asked. "They're super cheap."

"Because these are some of my favorite shoes!" she replied excitedly.

"You say that about every shoe," she pointed out.

"I know. But it's nice to have a fresh pair of shoes, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Bonnie agreed, looking down at her Navy Enperrials. "I don't know how much I like these, to be honest." She shrugged. "But it has a good ability, so I don't know..."

"Who cares about abilities? You just gotta be fashionable!" The wavy-haired inkling tucked the box under her arm and struck a pose.

The blue-haired girl giggled. "Heh, you are one of the freshest squids I know."

"Eh, I know fresher," Alexis teased, a smirk coming across her face.

"Like who?" she questioned.

"Like... uh... my other friends! They're super, super fresh!"

"You don't really have proof of that..."

"You just need to see them, and you can feel the freshness oozing off of them!"

"Sure..."

As Octavia watched the conversation, she started speaking again, walking backwards as she talked. "Anyways, I gotta go battle. Put on these shoes, get the sub abilities rolled, and then maybe Murch can-" She was interrupted when she bumped into someone, breaking her stride and causing her to stumble, almost dropping the box as well. She was quick to catch it, then turning around to apologize. The other inkling had fallen to the ground, dumbstruck. "I'm sorry," Via apologized. "I didn't see you."

"It's OK," she apologized. She had fair skin, with yellow green hair that was cut at the ends. She appeared to be about Alexis's age. "You couldn't of have." The wavy-hair inkling scanned the young girl's outfit quickly. A white headband, a basic tee, and cream basics...

"Wait a minute," she realized. "You're new to turf wars, aren't ya!"

The girl nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I just came to Inkopolis."

"Reminds me of my first turf war," Bonnie interjected. "Cod, that was so long ago..."

"It kinda feels weird to use the Splattershot Jr. nowadays," Alexis added. "I mean, it's kinda like my dualies, but you can't dodge roll."

"You can't splat people very well with it eith-" Bon-Bon's mouth hung open as she saw the newbie pull out a Splattershot Pro.

"How...do you have a Splattershot Pro?" Octavia puzzled after a stunned silence.

"Oh, my sister gave it to me," she replied. "She and my brother have been living here for like, three or four years now."

"Geez, your sister's nice," the short-haired girl grumbled, crossing her arms.

Via blinked. "...Are you sayin' _I'm_ not nice?"

"Sure," she teased.

The elder sister snickered. "Alexis..."

"So..." Bon-Bon started, putting her hands behind her back. She approached the newbie, who had now risen to her feet. She appeared to be a little shorter than Via. "What's your name?" She pulled a hand from her back, offering it to the younger inkling.

She hesitated for a few moments before taking the beige-skinned hand and shaking it. "Tess," she replied. "You?"

"I'm Bonnie." She peered over her shoulder to face the sisters. "And my friends here are Octavia and Alexis."

"Octavia? Like that Octavio guy in the textbooks?" she questioned. "Weird."

"E-Eh!" A nervous smile came across the wavy-haired girl's face. "Please, just call me Via! I don't like being compared to him. Besides, we're two completely different species."

"Oh, sorry," she apologized.

"So, have you battled at all yet?" Via continued on, smiling.

"No."

"Then we _have_ to battle with her!" Alexis chimed in. "We can show her the ropes of ink battling."

"We did turf wars at school..." Tess argued. "And I've watched a lot of them on TV."

"But those aren't real turf wars," Bonnie added. "Real ones are so much better."

"Oh, OK, I'll battle with you," she finally conceded. The group started walking to Deca Tower, and along the way, Octavia eavesdropped on Tess's conversation to herself. "My first turf war... This is gonna be great! And with new friends, too!" She laughed. "Ain't nothing like this back home."

"Huh? Where are you from?" the blue-haired inkling asked.

"Some place a few hours from here," she replied. "It's closer than Calamari County, but I would still take a train there. There's a lot of seahorses there. And so, it's the top spot for seahorse racing!"

"Seahorse racing?" Alexis perplexed. She looked up at her sister. "Ever watched one of those?"

She shook her head. "Only clips of it."

"Same here," Bon-Bon commented.

"Well, the big one on TV is from Bigbelly. The races where I'm from are more local," Tess explained. "I'm gonna compete in it Friday."

"This Friday?" the wavy-haired inkling inquired. The green-haired girl nodded in response. "Shouldn't you be preparing?"

"I was gonna go back there tomorrow night," she pointed out. "I just wanted to see what Inkopolis was like first!"

"Well, you're from the country, right?" the short-haired girl started. "It must take some time getting used to."

"Eh." Tess shrugged. "It's alright." The group then set foot into the lobby. The green-haired inkling looked around in awe at the large crowd that always gathered inside the tower. "Wow..." she breathed. "There's so many inklings!"

"This is normal," Octavia commented.

 _"Normal?!"_ the girl exclaimed.

"You'll get used to it," Alexis comforted her. "I was a little kid when my family moved to Inkopolis, but it took a while for me to get used to all the people here."

"Anyways, let's find a room to join," the older inkling declared.

"What about our weapons?" Bonnie pointed out.

"Oh, right, those." Via chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.

The group walked over to an interface. The wavy-haired inkling proceeded to enter in the information needed to access the storage room, and a few moments later, the paneling slid open to reveal the secret set of stairs.

"Wait here," Octavia instructed the newbie. Tess nodded, and they walked down the flight of stairs, to the storage room. Via decided to leave the shoe box there, since it would be too much of a hassle to carry both it and her brush around. Everyone grabbed their weapons and soon emerged onto the ground floor of the lobby.

"Woah," the green-haired inkling gasped in awe. "Those are some pretty fresh weapons!"

"I know, right?" Via bragged with a smirk. "Straight from Ammo Knights, the best weapon shop in Inkopolis!"

"Aside from Sheldon," Alexis added. "Dude talks too much."

The three inklings laughed before guiding Tess towards the cluster of elevators. "C'mon, let's go," the older inkling whispered.

They quickly spotted a room nearby with only four people in it—only half of what was needed for a complete room. They entered it to find Octa Prisma standing inside. ...Well, Octa Prisma and another funny-looking inkling, that is. The pale-skinned girl had purple hair tied up into a ponytail, though the top of her head was covered by an Annaki beret, and her eyes were covered by the glasses that came with it. She donned a pink hoodie and custom trail boots as well. In her purple-tipped hands was a Tri-Slosher.

"Look who it is," Giovanni sneered. "You have come to battle us?"

"We didn't expect to run into you..." Bonnie pointed out, frowning.

"Yeah, we just wanted to battle with a newbie!" Alexis added, defensive. "But you squids just had to show up!" She pointed a Hero Dualie at Gio's chest, causing him to wince.

Oscar scanned the group, and then looked over at Tess. "She has a Splattershot Pro. Are you the sure she is not in the disguise?"

"Yes, she could being a pro!" Yvonne added in agreement.

"It was a gift! From my sister!" the young girl cried. "I'm new here, I promise! And what's with that accent? It's like you don't speak a lick of Inkling!"

"I believe the inkling," the funny-looking inkling interjected. "That she new. It odd, though."

"Oh, we have a new member of Octa Prisma," Gio continued with an interjection. He bowed towards the purple-haired girl and continued. "This is Peyton."

"Yes," she confirmed. "We battle now."

 _So she's an octoling,_ Via realized. Giovanni only recruited octolings onto his team, so she has to be right.

"We only need red on Octa Prisma now!" the dark-skinned octoling exclaimed. "Then, we be complete!"

"Wow, your team's growing fast," Bonnie marveled.

"Yeah, I feel like it was just yesterday when Gio popped off of Perry's back in that old octoling gear," the wavy-haired inkling added.

"My life has changed a lot since then," he elaborated.

"Would you go back if you had the choice?" Alexis asked.

"No," he replied. The other octolings shook their heads in agreement. "I never would."

The younger inkling opened her mouth to say something, but she simply looked away in disappointment. Then, the elevator door closed behind them, making Tess jump. She hid behind Octavia, quivering in fear.

"Don't worry," Bonnie comforted her. "It's just the door."

The green-haired girl straightened and clutched her Splattershot Pro. "I knew that!" she snapped. "O-Of course I did!"

"Sure..." the wavy-haired inkling muttered under her breath, her word etched with sarcasm.

The elevator began to descend. Octa Prisma stared at the group of inklings, neutral expressions on their faces. The green-haired octoling glanced over at Tess. He raised an eyebrow, as if pondering something, but he quickly removed his attention from her. Soon, it stopped, and with a hiss, the floor opened up beneath to reveal a grate.

"Turn into a squid," Bon-Bon instructed. "That's how you get to the stage."

"I just swim through this thing?" she puzzled before shrugging. "OK."

Everyone slipped through the grate, soon arriving at their next destination. Via popped out onto the spawn point, reforming as a kid moments later. She found herself gazing upon a familiar quarry. Piranha Pit. Of course, the conveyors had not started to move, but once the game started, they would begin to do so, sliding whatever inkling stepped on it to the other side.

Once the game started, Via immediately but the bristles of her Octobrush down, running towards the center. To her convenience, she slid across the conveyor belt, arriving at her destination only a few seconds later. However, someone else had arrived alongside with her—Oscar. He began swinging his Inkbrush back and forth, spreading pink ink everywhere. Smirking, Octavia continued running towards him, leaving a trail of green ink behind. She jumped out in front of him, brush in hand. The octoling blocked her swipe with his own brush, pushing her back. He then put it to the ground and started running down the ramp leading to the lower area.

"Oscar...!" she yelled. "Get back here!" She continued to run after him, only to be pelted with pink bullets. She splatted a few seconds later, and as she flew back to spawn, she spotted Yvonne on the perch, moving her Hydra Splatling back and forth like a hose. When Via respawned, she let out a heavy sigh. _It's alright; nothing I can do about it..._ All of the other members of her team had left, except for Tess—she was now painting the walls with her Splattershot Pro, making sure not a single spot was left untouched. She eventually dove into the ink to refill her ink tank.

"Hey, Tess!" Octavia called. "Y'know painting the walls don't do anything, right?"

"Huh?" The girl with the ends of her hair cut off looked over at the older inkling. "But every bit of turf counts, doesn't it?"

"Not the walls." She jumped down to the floor to join the newbie. "Only the floor counts."

"Really?" she perplexed. "If you say so." She began to follow Via and ink the floor, as if nothing happened. However, Via then noticed someone coming over the horizon. Arriving at the top of the conveyor belt ramp was Peyton, Tri-Slosher in hand. She started dumping ink down onto the ground, while also keeping her balance on the platform.

"Watch out!" Via jumped in front of Tess, trying to deflect the sloshes with her brush.

"Woah!" She heard the young inkling turn into a squid, plopping into the ink, and swim away, much to her relief. However, she now had a different problem on her hands. Though Peyton was the newest member of Octa Prisma, she was certainly skilled. The wavy-haired inkling put her brush to the ground and swung around the bend, running up the ramp. She was at a disadvantage from the start—ink was dripping off her body, the sting burning through her clothes. Thankfully, when the girl with the ponytail noticed her, she lost her balance and fell off the conveyor belt. From there, she leaped down and splatted her with a few strokes.

"Booyah!" she cheered once she landed on the spot Peyton had exploded, pumping a fist into the air. She started to push her Octobrush Nouveau along once more, placing down a Squid Beakon just after the second ramp and starting to run down the incline. However, a predicament rose when her brush ran dry. She was out of ink, and she had nowhere to do so. She let out a heavy sigh, feeling some of her stored ink trickle into her ink tank. Once the bristles started to become wet with green ink again, she swiped it across the rocky floor and hid in the puddle created.

Oscar started to walk down to where Octavia resided, muttering something to himself in Octarian. His orange eyes scanned the area before resting on the puddle Via was hiding in. When he approached it, she jumped out of the ink, startling him and causing him to let out a squeak, and promptly attacked him with the Octobrush. He splatted, and she smiled with her achievements.

"Nice," she complimented herself. "I better start inking this place," she noted, observing the area. She placed a beakon behind the desk and started to swing her brush back and forth, flinging green ink all over the place. Once she felt satisfied with her work, she submerged in the ink to refill her tank real fast before running to the conveyor belt that would zip her back up to the main area. Upon her arrival, she came across Bonnie, who was having a showdown with Giovanni. The boy with the mohawk was approaching fast, but the girl with the double bun used a combination of the ink already covering the ground and the Classic Squiffer's properties to her advantage.

"Via!" she exclaimed with a smile. "A little help?" A splat bomb flew towards their direction. Both inklings jumped out of the way to dodge it, leaving a puddle of pink ink behind. It was then Giovanni rose into the air, the exhausts of the Inkjet pushing him off the ground with jets of pink ink. Snickering, he aimed the gun at Bonnie and fired a blob of ink at her. Before it could hit her, she activated her own special weapon. A green mist surrounded her and Octavia before hardening into a protective layer of ink—Ink Armor. Upon contact with the bullet, Bon-Bon's armor shattered, and she fell to the ground on her butt.

"Not today, Gio!" Alexis was charging towards him from behind, dualies in hand. She rolled forward and started to shoot at him from below. The fair-skinned boy turned around, surprised. He fired a shot at her, but she simply rolled out of the way to dodge it, enemy ink brushing her sides. With the distraction, the beige-skinned girl aimed up at him and fired her Squiffer, splatting him in a single shot. His gear fell to the ground with a crash before disappearing.

"Booyah!" all three of them cheered.

"With that out of the way..." Bonnie started, creating a narrow path with her charger. "I'm gonna check on Tess."

"Good call," the short-haired girl commented. "I'll go to their spawn." She ran off towards the other team's spawn point, though the conveyor belt hindered her movement quite a bit. Octavia decided to run after Bon-Bon, seeing as she had nothing else to do. They found Tess trying to avoid Yvonne's shots, resulting in rather creative movements. She jumped over them, she ducked under them, she even rolled over to her side. Bonnie hid behind a bumper, aiming at the dark-skinned octoling, who had her back turned.

She closed one eye, sticking her tongue out as she inched towards Yvonne. Once she was in ranged, she fired her Classic Squiffer, splatting the girl with pigtails in one shot. Tess had tripped and fell on her belly, groaning. She stood up and wiped some ink and dirt off her knees before turning her attention towards the duo.

"Whoa..." she gasped. "You saved me!" She ran up to the beige-skinned girl and hugged her. "Thank you!"

"Um..." Flustered, Bonnie tried to squirm out of the embrace. Noticing her behavior, the girl with the ends of her hair cut off let go, apologetic. "You're welcome." She gave a small smile.

Tess smiled as well, and at that moment, her hair started to glow. "Wait, Tess!" Octavia spoke up. "You can use your special now?"

"I can?" She grabbed one tentacle and looked at it. "Oh, fresh." A container with Ink Storm inside appeared in her hands. She stared at it, puzzled. "...What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Throw it," the wavy-haired girl informed. "Out in front of you."

The young girl nodded and took a few steps back. She threw the container on the ground, breaking it and sending a green cloud up in the air. The Ink Storm moved across the map, bringing drops of green ink along with it.

She blinked at the special before tilting her head ever-so-slightly. "I don't get it."

"It's good for pushin' other squids away," Via explained. "If you stand under it too long, you'll splat."

"I've the E-liter with it," Bonnie mused, putting a hand on her chin. "It's surprisingly effective in Splat Zones."

Tess looked pass them. "Are you sure?"

The wavy-haired girl turned around to see Oscar, charging through the Ink Storm. "Well, it works sometimes!" she defended her earlier statement. The boy with the afro pulled a bomb out and tossed it towards them. The three inklings scattered, creating a splatter of pink ink where they were standing. The girl with the double bun was quick to pull out her Classic Squiffer and fire a shot at him, quickly splatting him.

However, Peyton was right behind him, also unfazed by the Ink Storm. She threw two burst bombs at the group before hiding in some to refill her ink tank. She popped out a few seconds later, ready to attack them once more. Bonnie tried shooting at her again, but the girl with the ponytail easily dodged the shots. She made a noise of frustration and proceeded to super-jump away. It was then Alexis arrived where the beige-skinned inkling was once standing, Hero Dualies in hand. She spun one of them and proceeded to roll towards Peyton, orange eyes filled with determination. At the same time, Tess tried to shoot at her with her Splattershot Pro, clumsily aiming at the octoling. Yet, somehow, one of her shots landed, successfully splatted her.

She blinked at where Peyton once stood, lowering her weapon. "...I did it." She pumped a fist and jumped into the air. "I did it! Woo! I did it!"

"Congrats." Alexis smirked. "But we still got the rest of Octa Prisma to deal with."

"How do you know?" Octavia challenged, her smile growing.

"Because I was over on the other side of the map," she pointed out, annoyed. "Gio almost splatted me, but I got out of there, just in time."

"What about Yvonne?" she asked.

"Yvonne's probably camping. We'll have to take her out if we want to go down to that ditch."

Via nodded. "Got it." She put the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau down to the ground. She would have super-jumped over to one of her beakons, but they seemed to have been destroyed. "There's not much time left, but we're gonna win. For Tess's sake."

Tess's mouth hung open. She looked over her shoulder and winked at the younger inkling. "Let's go! Rainbow Squids!" she announced.

The team of inklings started to run down the map, inking whatever turf had not been covered by green ink. Past the second conveyor belt ramp, they spotted Yvonne, who perched on a solid platform near her team's spawn point. She charged her splatling, the barrels on it spinning rapidly. She released the charge, a flurry of ink bullets flying out of her weapon. Gio arrived at the main area, popping out of the ink to cover turf.

"Via," Alexis called, looking at her sister. Both girls had their tentacles glowing green. "Ready?"

The wavy-haired girl nodded. "Ready."

Both inklings activated their special weapon—Tenta Missiles. They backed up a few steps, locking the missiles on all four members of Octa Prisma present. They pressed down on the trigger, sending a barrage of missiles towards the octolings.

 _"DOUBLE TENTA MISSILES!"_ they shouted.

Yvonne looked up at the sky, and in a panic, she scrambled off of the platform. She fell face-first onto the conveyor belt, with a missile splatting her shortly afterwards. Giovanni himself was also taken off-guard by the missiles, trying to run back down to the nadir. However, ink created from the explosions soon overwhelmed him, splatting him as well. Near the spawn, Oscar and Peyton were huddling inside, watching at the missiles reflected off of the barrier surrounding the spawn point. The two that had splatted soon spawned a few seconds later, knocking them both off of the platform. They struggled to run over to the main area, but with only ten seconds left, they succeeded to do so.

The boy with the afro swung around Bonnie, catching her from behind and splatting her. The sisters turned around at her scream and tried to attack him, but just before Alexis splatted him, a whistle blew, and they froze in place. Ink dripped from their weapons, cover a superficial amount of turf. Via looked behind her to find Tess's gear sinking into the ground. Where she once stood was Peyton, staring out into the blue sky with a neutral expression.

"Well," the girl with the ponytail started, lowering her Tri-Slosher, "you win."

Octavia blinked. "Already? You're not gonna wait for Judd?"

"Look." She gestured to the area surrounding them. "Little pink, but many green. It is obvious."

"You're not gonna complain?" Alexis puzzled.

She sighed. "I do turf wars for the money. It pays well."

"Well, I think you need to learn how to have fun," the wavy-haired inkling suggested. "Why not switch up weapons? I like doing that when I'm bored."

"Huh..." She looked at the ground before looking back at the sisters. "I try that."

Via nodded with a smile and turned towards where Judd and Li'l Judd had landed—between the conveyor belt ramps. They surveyed the stage for a bit before doing their signature dance, causing Judd to strike out a green flag, with Li'l Judd falling down on the floor.

Tess and Bonnie walked out to see the results, and the former gasped. "What?! We won?!"

"Of course," the latter said.

"Oh my cod, we won!" she exclaimed. "Booyah!"

Oscar lowered his Inkbrush and smiled. "Huh. You are like Giovanni when he is winning."

"Hey!" Gio called from somewhere.

"Let's get back to the lobby," Alexis declared. "I wanna see the results in full detail."

They super-jumped back to the Deca Tower, into a room displaying the results. Out of everyone, Alexis had splatted the most people, but Tess covered the most turf. On Octa Prisma's side, it was revealed to the group that Gio had activated his Inkjet twice, while Oscar managed to use Splashdown quite a few times. Peyton and Bonnie had covered the least amount of turf for their respective teams.

"Oh my cod, I'm number one!" the girl with the ends of her hair cut off cheered. She pulled all three inklings into a huge hug. "Thank you, thank you! I couldn't have won without you!"

Via gave a nervous laugh, and then smiled. "You're welcome."

_Helping newbies really does feel superfresh sometimes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! The first part of this two-parter is here. Of course, the next part will be available tomorrow. How do you guys like Tess? Quite the upbeat girl, isn't she? You'll learn a little bit more about her and a few other characters tomorrow.


	62. Hold Your Seahorses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tess invites the Rainbow Squids to her seahorse race out in the country. Will she win?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: past abusive relationship, implied self-harm.

_Yuri's PoV_

Yuri proceeded to dig his face into the pompous cotton candy, indulging in the pink sugary sweet. Next to him was a jellyfish who also held some cotton candy, except it was blue. They were now exiting Wahoo World after spending a few hours at the amusement park. They hopped into the car, where they proceeded to finish the snack.

"Y'know, Jellette, I really had fun today," he noted, looking down at the blue creature. She remained silent, eating the cotton candy despite not having a mouth. However, the yellow-haired inkling did notice something else—a faint glow emitted from the jellyfish's body. "I bet we could be great friends!" At his statement, Jellette looked over at him with sad eyes, enough to make him frown.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, and he proceeded to finish his cotton candy. In reality, Jellette more or less wanted to go out with him. Though jellyfish were not his type, he felt bad rejecting her. So, he accepted it. Actually, several people had asked him, ever since White Day rolled around. And he said yes to every single one of them, for the same reason. The attention was a little overwhelming, but he could handle it. Interestingly, when he brought up it to his friends, they didn't care. Not even Inigo seemed bothered.

After the treat was finished, he threw the cone in the back seat of the car and started driving. He would dispose of it later. He drove Jellette back home, where she waved goodbye and headed back inside the townhouse. Yuri then proceeded to park in front of his own home. He grabbed the cone and tossed it into a trash bin, striking a pose while doing so. Afterwards, he started to walk to Inkopolis Square. It was about 6:00 PM now, but unsurprisingly, the sun had still not set.

He arrived about a half hour later, where he spotted a green-haired girl talking to the Rainbow Squids. For a moment, he thought it was Geneva, and his heart skipped a beat. Of course, as he got closer to the table back near the Crust Bucket, he found himself wrong. This girl's hair was longer in the back, and the ends of it were cut off. She also wore gear that seemed to mark her as a newbie—a white headband, a basic tee, and cream basics.

"Hey," Yuri greeted, speaking up. "Did I miss something?"

The newcomer turned around to face Yuri. "Oh, hi," she greeted. "You need somethin'?"

"That's Yuri," Perry interrupted. "He's one of us."

"He's the 'yellow' member of your group?" she asked. His friends nodded in confirmation. Smiling, the dark-skinned boy walked over to his chair and took a seat next to the purple-haired inkling. The young girl returned her attention to the Rainbow Squids, turning to face them again. Her eyes scanned the table and added, "Still no 'green' member..."

"She's on vacation," informed Yuri.

"Unfortunately," Inigo muttered quietly.

"That's too bad," she sighed. "But hey, seven of ya is already a pretty big group."

"What?" he questioned, sitting up in his chair. "Seriously, what's goin' on?"

"Tess invited us to her seahorse race," Via explained.

"Tess...?" Yuri tilted his head, confused.

"Me," the green-haired inkling spoke up, waving her hand. "I'm Tess."

"Ah, I see! I'll be honest, I thought you were someone else for a second."

"Who?"

"The green member of our group. You look a lot like her."

"I do?" She blinked. "Wow."

"So... When's the seahorse race?" Yuri asked.

"Tomorrow," she replied. "I leave tonight."

"Tomorrow?" he blinked. "We have school tomorrow though." He looked down at the table as a thought came into his mind. "Though I guess I wouldn't mind missing it." Anything was better than boring old school.

"You squids still go to school?" Tess perplexed. "Wow."

"I mean, it's good to have plans," Bonnie pointed out. "I can't do turf wars forever..."

"As nice as that would be, I'll be old eventually," Octavia added. "I think I'm gonna be a teacher like my mom. Maybe not first graders though."

"I'm gonna be a pro baskfishball player," Roy boasted with a smirk. "Just you wait. You'll see the name 'Roy Blacktip' all over TV."

"Better hope you don't see 'Wyatt Requiem' instead," Perry teased.

"Perry..." he groaned.

"In all seriousness, I wanna be a rapper, up there with Pearl," the purple-haired boy said. "My dad wants me to become the next CEO of our company, but I don't want that. I'd be doin' paperwork all day."

"Well, I have to inherit the family farm," Tess noted. "There's no choice in it. My brother gave up all claims to inheritance right before he moved to Inkopolis, and my sister was never interested." She sighed. "So it all comes down to me."

"That's..." Yuri frowned. "...Horrible. I'd hate that."

"Well, it's my duty to carry on the family name," the green-haired girl stated, eyebrows furrowing. "Me, and only me." She shook her head. "Anyways... You squids wanna come to my race?" she asked in a more cheerful tone.

"Sure," Inigo replied. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Great!" She handed Inigo a piece of paper. "This is where I live. You can drive there."

"'K, thanks," he thanked, sounding rather uninterested.

"No prob!" she chirped. She started walking away from the group. "See y'all tomorrow!" she exclaimed with a wave.

After Tess was gone, Inigo handed the paper to Yuri. "You're driving," he announced.

"What? Why me?" he puzzled, surprised.

"You have the biggest car," Bonnie pointed out.

"It's technically my mom's..." he noted. "She'll have to super-jump to work tomorrow if we take it."

"You have a big car, don't ya Perry?" Alexis asked for confirmation, turning towards him. "I mean, you're rich and all; I'm sure you have a limo or somethin'."

"I don't," the pale-skinned inkling pointed out, shaking his head. "But... The big car's bigger than Gio's and Brayden's egos." He smirked. "And that's sayin' somethin'. Has the special baby seats 'n everything."

"I don't think we can fit in the baby seats," Inigo argued.

"Not unless ya turn into a squid," he countered. "A little big, sure, but there's just enough seats to fit the seven of us."

"Counting the baby seats?" Yuri asked.

"Countin' the baby seats," Perry confirmed.

"Aight, it's set then," Roy announced, slamming his tan-skinned hand on the table. "We're taking Perry's big car, and he's also driving."

"On second thought..." the yellow-haired boy reconsidered. "I think it's best if I drive. Perry drives like a squid who doesn't know how to use a charger."

"I-" The purple-haired inkling stopped himself before laughing. "Ha, you're right, I'm bad at drivin' and I can't use a charger!"

The Rainbow Squids burst out in laughter. Regardless of the circumstances, the plan was in place. All they needed to do now was execute it.

* * *

Yuri's sleep was brought to an abrupt stop when he heard his brother call his name.

 _"Yurii!"_ York called. "There's a car outside!"

He shot up from his bed, a sock falling off his face. "What?" He peeked out the window to see a black SUV running outside of the townhouse. "Oh!" He quickly put on his normal clothes, grabbed his headphones and cellphone, and ran down the steps. I didn't expect him to come this early!

"Yuri?" his mom asked, confused. "What's going on?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you," he replied, a little embarrassed. He put on his studio headphones and rubbed the back of his head. "We're going to a seahorse race."

She blinked. "Today?"

He nodded. "Today."

"Don't you have school today?" she countered.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry..." He pouted. "I'll make it up when I get back."

His mother simply shrugged and gave a smile. "Well, tell me next time, OK?"

"OK."

"Have fun!"

"I will!" Yuri called as he stepped out the front door. The sun was only peaking over the horizon, casting Inkopolis in a golden light. In the front seat was Perry. Upon sight of him, he unbuckled his seat belt and crawled over to the passenger's seat. He gestured towards the driver's seat. The yellow-haired boy simply nodded and got inside the car. "Woah," he breathed, looking at the control panel. "Fancy."

"It's the newest model," the purple-haired boy informed. "I thought you'd like it."

"I mean, I'm not a car person, but I do like it," he noted. He looked behind him to see who else was in the car. Bonnie sat behind him, while Roy was on the other side, sleeping. The baby seats—the compartment had been lowered already, separating the two inklings—were empty.

"Hi," Bon-Bon greeted.

"Hi," he greeted back.

"'K, we just need Inigo, Via, and Alexis now," Perry announced. "Let's get to it."

The townhouse Inigo lived in was rather close to Yuri's own house, only being a block away. A quick drive down the street brought them there. The dark-skinned inkling got out of the car and rang the doorbell. The person who answered was his father—a fair-skinned man who was the splitting image of his son, though his narrower eyes were noticeably purple.

"Oh! Mr. Sable!" Yuri gasped. "We're just here to pick up Inigo."

"You're driving out to see some seahorse race, right?" he asked. "I remember him telling me about that last night."

"Yeah, yeah, that's the one," he confirmed.

"Well, keep an eye on him," he requested. "He's been a lot more...snappy, lately. I feel like he's hiding something."

 _Not even his parents know Inigo's the Vigilante?_ he pondered, amused. _This is worse than I thought... I hope he's alright._

"Inigo!" Mr. Sable called. A few moments later, the indigo-haired inkling arrived, though his hair was down. He spotted the hairband he tied his tentacles with around his wrist. "Your friend's here."

"Oh, hey Yuri," he greeted. "Let's go."

They walked back to the car, with the dark-skinned inkling opening the back door for his friend. On sight of them, Bonnie waved.

Inigo waved back at the girl, and then looked past her to find Roy, who was still sound asleep. Some drool trailed down his chin. He sighed and turned into a squid, leaping on Bonnie's lap. He crawled over to the baby seat next to the red-haired inkling and plopped himself inside. It was a little small and did not account for the two larger tentacles adult inklings had in their squid form, but it still worked. The blue-haired inkling unbuckled herself and leaned over to buckle Inigo in. He squinted at her, but said nothing as she did her work. She positioned herself back on her own seat and gave Yuri a thumbs-up. The yellow-haired boy shut the door and climbed back into the driver's seat. It was then they started to drive to Via and Alexis's place, which was the closest to Inkopolis Square.

While they drove, Perry spoke up. "We should go to Inkopolis Café," he suggested. "Get some coffee in your system."

"Oh, yeah, Inkopolis Café!" Bonnie perked up. "They have the best milkshakes!"

"And it's cheap, too," Inigo pointed out. "I mean, I like Starfish Drinks, but it's on the expensive side..."

"I'm sold," Yuri declared. "After we pick up the others, we'll go there."

"Yes!" Perry cheered, pumping a fist.

They then arrived at Octavia and Alexis's house, where they were waiting outside, typing away on their phones. Alexis was the first to notice them, tapping her sister on the shoulder. They sat up from the benches and walked up to the car. Yuri rolled down the window, smiling.

"You're finally here," Octavia said.

"Sorry it took a bit," Perry apologized. "Ya know how far Bonnie lives from the rest of us."

"It's fine." She smiled.

"Well, let's go!" Alexis exclaimed. She opened the back door. Through the mirror, Yuri saw her face fall. "...And the only seats left are the baby seats."

"I mean, we _could_ wake Roy up and put him in there," Perry suggested jokingly.

"It's not a bad idea," Inigo commented.

"Wha? Really?" he blurted.

"I know Alexis doesn't like being treated like a baby, so maybe if we put her in a normal seat, she'll feel more powerful," he elaborated.

"No, don't do that," the short-haired girl protested. "I can't compare to you guys. So, I'll..." She lowered her head, disappointed. "...Go in the baby seat."

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked.

Alexis nodded and turned into a squid, crawling into the middle seat. Octavia followed, occupying the seat next to Bonnie. She buckled them in, and finally, they were ready to depart.

"Alright," Inigo started, pumping a tentacle as if it were a fist. "We're going to Inkopolis Café first."

"Why?" Via questioned.

"Because why not?" Perry responded.

"Well, if you say so."

The group turned around in the parking space and started driving out of Inkopolis. Before the exit that led to the highway, however, they stopped at the nearest café. Even in the early morning, it was still a little crowded.

Yuri turned towards the back seat. "Perry and I'll go inside. What do you squids want?"

Inigo reached over to Roy and placed a tentacle on his arm, causing him to snap awake. He looked around and wiped the drool off of his face. "Where are we?"

"Around where Bon-Bon lives," the purple-haired boy explained.

"Inkopolis Café, specifically," she interjected.

"Fresh." He crossed his arms and smiled. "Get me some doughnuts. I didn't eat breakfast."

"Yeesh, that's a lot of sugar," Alexis noted.

"Don't complain if you feel like carp later," Octavia sneered.

"We already ate, by the way," the younger inkling added. "We had plenty of time to do so..."

"You can get me some fruit," Bonnie requested. "Ooh! What about a strawberry smoothie? I'd love that."

"So... Fruit, or a smoothie?" Yuri puzzled.

"Smoothie," she clarified. "Though if they don't have it, you can get me the fruit."

"Alright, just wanted to make sure."

"I'm not hungry," Inigo said. "I don't think I can eat in this baby seat, anyways."

"Yeah, it's a little tight," Via agreed.

Yuri nodded, and the two friends crawled out of the car and entered the café. The wait was not as long as they thought it would be, and they were surprisingly efficient, too. The cashier gave Yuri and Perry two cups of sweetened coffee, a strawberry smoothie, half a dozen doughnuts, and a bag of star candy. They exited the shop and opened the back door. Yuri handed Bonnie her smoothie, which she promptly started to drink. Perry slid the box of doughnuts down towards Roy, who immediately opened it up and started to eat a chocolate-covered one. He also opened the bag of candy up and popped a few of them into his mouth. He tied it back up and placed it in front of Alexis.

"Why'd you place it in front of us?" Inigo questioned. "We can barely move in these seats."

"Well, what if Bonnie or Roy want some?" he challenged.

"What?! They can't hoard it to themselves!" Alexis whined.

"We can share," Bonnie suggested.

"Yeah, we'll find some way to eat them," Via added.

"...Eh, true." Yuri and Perry climbed back into the front seats and started the car up. "Let's go." The former took a big sip of his coffee and set it in the cupholder, wiping his mouth before driving out of Inkopolis.

The road trip was rather uneventful, seeing as they would arrive at the town Tess lived in before noon. Yuri didn't find it too hard to focus on the road, though he supposed the coffee helped with that. Roy quickly fell asleep again after eating half of the doughnuts, so Yuri, Perry, and Bonnie stole the remaining doughnuts from his lap when they stopped for a bathroom break.

At long last, they arrived in front of a small house with pale blue paneling, with a huge red barn right next to it. A squid with long tentacles wrapping around in a circle was plastered above the doorway on the barn, most likely being the family emblem. The area behind it was fenced, with some seahorses grazing on the grass. Yuri pulled into the driveway of the home. A green-haired inkling man walked out of the house, squinting at the car.

"What? Who is this?" he asked. Yuri rolled down the window. The man walked up to him and glared at him. "I don't know you."

"Umm... We're your daughter's new friends from Inkopolis," he explained.

"City folk..." he grumbled. "Well, why are ya here?"

"Well, she invited us to come watch the seahorse race here, so we came here."

"I see..." He sighed. "Tess's in the barn if you want to see her. The race starts at two o'clock, so you have plenty of time before it starts."

"Alright, thanks!" Yuri climbed out of the car, followed by the rest of the Rainbow Squids.

The man's eyes widened. "Holy mackerel, you squids multiplied!"

"Eh... We used the baby seats to our advantage," Perry said with a shrug.

"Baby seats?!"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Octavia assured him.

The man was too stunned to say anything more, so the group promptly walked over to the barn. Some seahorses were poking out of the stables, looking towards Tess, who wore riding gear accented with a green the same shade her ink was. She was tending to a yellow-and-green seahorse, petting its snout.

"Hey, Tess," Perry greeted.

The green-haired girl looked over at the Rainbow Squids. "Oh! You came!"

"Yeah, why wouldn't we?" the wavy-haired inkling affirmed.

"Thank you!" She jumped up in the air and pumped her fist. "It means the world to me!"

"No problem." Yuri smiled. He walked over to the seahorse she stood in front of and looked at it. "Who's this?"

"Oh, that's Greenie," she introduced the seahorse to him. "Because she's kinda green. Get it?"

"Ya like green, huh?" Perry noted, rubbing the back of his head. "Some variety wouldn't hurt."

"Well, my ink is naturally green, and green is sorta my family's trademark color, so..." Tess trailed off. "Yeah."

"Anyways, when's the race?" Roy asked. "I'm getting impatient."

"In a few hours," she replied. "Sorry..."

He blinked. "A few-" He cut himself off and looked at the dirt floor, crossing his arms. "...Darn it."

"Why don't we go sightseeing?" Inigo suggested. "It'd be a great way to pass the time."

"Yeah, we could check out the local cuisine or get some souvenirs!" Yuri agreed.

"Eh..." The purple-haired boy sighed. "I kinda wanna just sit here at Tess's house."

Bonnie looked at the younger inkling. "Ooh, do you have any video games?"

"Oh, yeah!" Alexis exclaimed, pumping a fist. "Maybe we can play InkKart!"

"I have a Squii," the green-haired girl informed, "and InkKart."

"Booyah!" she cheered. "I can't wait!"

"Yeah, you squids can just stay here and play InkKart," Tess added. "There's not much to see here anyways."

"Fresh." Perry walked up to her and grabbed her hand with both of his, shaking it. "Thanks."

Blushing, she pulled her hand back. "No problem."

"See ya at the race," Yuri called as they exited the barn. They walked up the steps to the house next to it. Tess's father was sitting on a swinging bench, ogling at the phone screen he held in his hands. The spiky-haired boy waved a hand in front of him, and he looked up from his cellphone.

"Eh?" he questioned, putting it away.

"Can we go inside?" Roy asked, a little irritated.

"Tess said yes," Via added.

"Sure." He rose from his chair and opened the door, then bowing.

"Thank you!" The Rainbow Squids entered an old-fashioned living room of sorts, the walls being painted a pale orange. To the right side was a television, though from the angle they entered it was hard to see what was on it. To the left were some shelves containing a variety of items, including framed photographs, followed by some stairs leading up. Past the living room was a dining room, though a kitchen was also visible. A female inkling, presumably Tess's mother, was sitting in one chair, focused on a laptop she had in front of her.

Perry started heading towards the TV, but Roy grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt and pulled him back before he could go any further. "Not yet," he hissed.

Bonnie took a few steps forwards and called out, "Excuse me!"

The woman looked towards them, pushing spectacles up the bridge of her nose. "Yes? You don't look familiar..."

"We're your daughter's friends," Yuri started.

She interrupted him before he could say anything further. "Which one? I have two."

"Uh, Tess," he replied. "She invited us to the seahorse race, and we want to play the Squii to pass time."

"I see." She narrowed her glare. "You lot look a little old to be her friend. I thought you were my other daughter's friends at first—I think she'd be about your age by now."

"Huh?" Inigo put a hand on his head. "'I think?'"

"I haven't seen her in over a year," the woman explained. "She was supposed to come last Squidmas, but my eldest son said she was too busy." She snickered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was with her boyfriend."

"She has a boyfriend?" Alexis blinked, surprised. "That she would take over family?"

"It has been a year since I last heard from her," she pointed out. "I doubt they're still together, but I still think about the thought."

"So, anyways..." Perry interjected, bowing. "We just want to play the Squii."

She nodded and returned her attention to her computer. "Go ahead."

"Booyah!" he cheered. "Let's go!"

"Not so fast."

A familiar voice brought the group out of their excitement. Yuri turned around to see Tiffany standing in the doorway. She entered the room, and behind her was another red-haired inkling boy who appeared to be about their age. Judging by the small tentacles visible around his neck, Yuri assumed he kept his hair in a ponytail. Like Tess, he wore riding gear, though it was accented with red, and a family crest—a squid with tentacles positioned so that they outlined wings—was embedded on the side of his helmet.

"I didn't think the Rainbow Squids would be here, out of all places," Tiffany sneered. "And especially in this specific house."

"Cut to the chase," Roy growled. "Why are you here?"

"You met them in Inkopolis?" the boy behind her inquired. Tiffany looked behind her and nodded at him. He chuckled. "City folk. What a joke!"

Yuri flinched. "Yeesh, lighten up."

"Answer his question," Alexis demanded, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Well, I'm from here," the red-haired lady responded, smiling. "And, I like seeing my brother race. Why else would I be here?"

"Brother...?" Octavia muttered.

"Gary Teuthis," the boy introduced himself. "I don't want to be in the house of an enemy, but here I am."

"He speaks his mind a lot," Tiffany commented. "Ignore him." Gary grumbled in response, crossing his arms.

Inigo went to the front of the group and smiled. "Well, it's nice seeing someone else I know here."

"I'm sure it is, boy," she said. "Being in a new place is tough. But I know you can handle it."

He laughed. "Y'know, Tess reminds me of someone."

"I mean, you're from Inkopolis. If you know-"

"Stop it!" she snapped at Gary, interrupted him. Tiffany regained her composure and cleared her throat. "Anyways, who does she remind you of?"

Yuri's yellow eyes widened, his gaze moving towards the indigo-haired inkling. If he revealed that he once dated Geneva, he couldn't even imagine what would happen. He had to do something, and quick. Something to preserve the identity of his first girlfriend for now.

"My ex, G-"

 _"Agent 3!"_ Yuri suddenly blurted out, catching everyone off-guard.

"...Agent 3?" the lady questioned.

"Sounds like a bad attempt at being fresh," Gary sneered.

"No," Inigo declared. "She's one of the freshest squids in Inkopolis."

 _It's not too far from the truth,_ he silently noted. Geneva was fresh, but there were fresher squids out there, like the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook. But he had to admit, Agent 3 seemed pretty fresh herself, though the fact that she lived in the subway muddied that image.

"No one knows her real name," Alexis continued with a smile. "Not even Inigo!"

"Despite dating her for who-knows-how-long?" Tiffany marveled.

"Six months," the indigo-haired boy interjected. "...It was six months."

"Sounds like she's hiding something big," Gary scoffed. "Other than her identity and crap."

The lady shrugged. "What is done is done." She smiled. "I need to go talk to Tess."

"...Tess is in the barn," Bonnie pointed out with a frown. "She's not in here."

"What do ya want with her, anyways?" Roy butted in with a snarl.

Tiffany stepped back in surprise. "Why the hostility? You barely know me."

"Because I've heard about what you did," he said, his voice low. "And if you touch another person I know, then you're gonna get it."

She blinked. "Well, those 'things' you've heard about me aren't true."

The boy with his hair swept to the side growled. "Not true?!"

"We're done here," she declared coldly. "C'mon, Gary," she then muttered, walking out of the house. "Let's go to the barn."

Roy clenched his shaking fist, tense. Perry put a hand on his shoulder, telling him to calm down. The red-eyed boy took a few deep breaths and marched over to the living room couch, sitting down on it with his legs spread. He clasped his hands between them and glanced over at the rest of the group. Alexis proceeded to turn on the TV, followed by the Squii. She grabbed enough remotes for four players and distributed them to Octavia, Yuri, and Perry. They proceeded to play InkKart together while Roy, Bonnie, and Inigo watched.

Time passed, and everyone took turns with the game. Except Alexis, who kept the Squii remote attached to her hand at all times. She did not even bother for a lunch break at first—at about one o'clock, Tess's mother called everyone to the dining room, having prepared a traditional noodle dish for everyone. It took Via dragging her sister to the table for her to eat it.

"This is really good!" Yuri complimented as he slurped on the noodles. "You do this every day?"

Tess's mother shook her head. "Only on special occasions," she replied. "It's much easier to get take-out these days. Or just make a sandwich or something."

"Huh." He was one of the first to finish his lunch, and now he stared into the empty bowl. "That's too bad."

She gave a small smile. "You're a nice squid, you know that?"

"Nothing like those Teuthis hagfish," her husband added.

The dark-skinned inkling simply blinked and started to consume his drink. After they finished eating, Tess had to leave to get ready for the race. The rest of the Rainbow Squids left soon after her, wishing to find a good seat to watch it from. Tess's parents guided them to the field. It was relatively simple. A long set of bleachers stood facing the track, its back facing the road. A dirt track formed a large loop, not unlike one found at a high school stadium. Towards the right end of the bleachers was another track, where stables container seahorses and their jockeys were currently positioned.

The group of inklings were situated towards the starting line, where the majority of the town's residents had gathered. In the front row was Tiffany, leaning back in her seat. She took a sip from a water bottle every now and then, her expression unknown. Unlike the first encounter Yuri ever had with her, she was wearing a t-shirt and a Special Forces beret.

Directly below Inigo's feet was a familiar-looking inkling, but at the same time, Yuri couldn't tell who it is. With leaf-green hair styled into a side cut, fair skin, and the custom painted F-3, he almost looked like...

"Asher." The name escaped his lips. Almost immediately afterwards, he covered his mouth. _I didn't mean to say it out loud!_

The man looked over at him, the 18K Aviators obscuring his eyes. On his chin was a small goatee. He looked behind him, then around him. The other Rainbow Squids had also turned their attention towards Yuri.

"...Asher?" Inigo questioned. "What about him?"

"Yeah, he's in Inkopolis," Perry agreed.

"Nothing!" he assured them. "It's just that-"

"It's fine," Asher's voice spoke, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't expect to see you squids here."

The yellow-haired boy's eyes widened. "Is it seriously you?!"

He nodded before looking away. "...I was hoping no one recognized me."

"Why not?" asked the indigo-haired inkling.

"Really, Inigo?" Via sighed. "I was really hopin' you got some sense drilled into ya."

"But-"

"Forget it," Roy grumbled, causing Inigo to go silent. "I already tried." He looked away, arms crossed.

Asher frowned and shook his head. "Since we have time before the race starts... Could I tell you a story?"

"A story?" Bonnie leaned towards him, interested. "What's it about?"

"Yeah, I'm always down for a story!" Yuri exclaimed, crawling over Bonnie to hear the young adult better. Octavia and Alexis proceeded to turn into squids, creeping up the boy's back, much to his discomfort, and plopping onto Inigo's lap. Inigo looked at Roy, who had his back turned to them, and called out his name. He did not respond.

With that, he turned back to Asher. "We're ready."

"OK." He clapped his hands together, but he quickly lowered them as frown fell upon his lips. "So... I used to live here. And so did Tiffany. We're the same age, so we've known each other for our entire lives. But the thing is, our families hate each other. They have for generations. Everyone expected it to continue... Until one day..."

"You started dating," Alexis interjected. "Right?"

Asher nodded. "Despite everything..." He smiled. "I still remember that day fondly." He looked out in the distance. "It was in another field not far from here. We were trash-talking each other at school, so I challenged Tiffany to a seahorse race. It was quite the commotion. Almost everyone from school was there, plus my sisters."

"Sisters?" Bonnie puzzled. "I thought you only had Geneva."

"No, I have an even younger sister," he noted. "She stayed here when we went to Inkopolis."

 _Kinda like Tess,_ Yuri realized. _I wonder..._ Asher, Geneva, and Tess all have green ink. It would be alright to assume that they are related, but he didn't want to hold on to the thought, in case he was wrong.

"Anyways, they were off to the sidelines, watching. We raced, and it ended in a tie. But..." The green-haired inkling trailed off, frowning.

"But what?" Perry continued. "Ya can't just leave it."

"...I realized she was actually really pretty. Something I wish I hadn't thought of. Tiffany seemed to realize the same thing, and bam, we started dating. Everything was happy at first. Nothing seemed wrong on the surface, but things turned sour quickly.

"The first sign something was wrong was a few months after we started dating. Tiffany's brother's birthday was coming up, so I wanted to draw something for him. I decided to ask her for advice, to see if she thought her brother liked it. The first time I showed her the sketch, she hated it. She said it was horrible, that I should do better. I made another sketch. She hated that one, too. I made so many more sketches, and she hated every single one of them. So, I gave up and ditched the drawing. I thought she was just being tough, but... I don't think that's the case anymore.

"My confidence continued to get destroyed. I was _this_ close to giving up. But then Geneva walked in and asked what was wrong. She tried to make sure I was OK." He smiled. "She wouldn't let me go, and I'm glad."

Yuri blinked. "Wow... That's...depressing." He looked off to the side. "I'd never imagine it got that bad."

He put a hand over his forearm. "Ever since Geneva went on her vacation, it's started to get bad again. Especially bad now that Tiffany's in Inkopolis." His eyes met the Rainbow Squids at last. "But thanks to you, I know I have to keep going on. Even if I never see her again, I can always count on you squids."

"Aw, thanks." Perry put his arms behind his head, smiling.

"I'm still confused," Bonnie muttered. "Why didn't you just...leave?"

"It's more complicated than that," Asher admitted. "I knew I should leave, but I just...couldn't. Tiffany was always clinging on to me, begging for me not to leave. I felt like I owed something to her. But, when I turned 18, I realized that I could just move out and never think about her again. I asked my sisters if they wanted to come with me to Inkopolis. Geneva said yes. So, as soon as I graduated high school, we went to Inkopolis, never to be seen again. We were starting a new life."

"But then Tiffany came to Inkopolis," Alexis concluded. "That's the suckiest of sucks."

"She never left my mind, even before then. I always worried she would come back to haunt me, and then I would really be gone. When I first saw her that Splatfest, I panicked. I didn't know what to do. The day after the Splatfest I got this haircut, and a few days afterwards I started to grow a beard. My thought was that if I looked different, she wouldn't recognize me at all. And it worked, kinda. You didn't recognize me at first. ...But now I'm wondering if I should of done more. If my sister's friends recognized me, then my ex is bound to." He let out a groan, digging his face into his hands. "I don't know. I don't know..."

"Hey, calm down," Yuri comforted. "We won't let her hurt you."

He laughed and wiped a tear from his eye. "T-Thanks."

Inigo, who had remained silent the entire time, only gave a simple nod and said, "You're welcome."

"Hey, squids?" Roy called, turning everyone's attention to him. "I think it's gonna start soon."

Everyone returned to their seat and focused on the starting line. Seven seahorses were lined up, with Tess and her seahorse, Greenie, being positioned towards the middle. Next to her was Gary on an orange-and-yellow seahorse, and on the other side of her was a sea anemone that rode a blue one. An older inkling woman was closest to the bleachers, riding a red seahorse with white stripes. The seahorse farthest from the bleachers was yellow with darker spots, being ridden by a prawn not unlike Crusty Sean back Inkopolis. Between him and the sea anemone was a pinkish seahorse being ridden by a grouper, followed by a plain yellow seahorse ridden by a hammerhead shark.

Tess in particular was visibly shaken, the reins trembling as her hands shook. The seahorses remained in place, and after a few minutes, a male voice began to speak.

"Welcome to Kitano's 90th annual seahorse race!" exclaimed the announcer. "My name is Ludwig Umi, and as I have been for the past forty years, I will be commentating on the race today. Now, let's get to the contestants."

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Octavia cheered.

"Representing the Chiro family is..." Yuri started to ignore the announcer, closing his eyes and beginning to daydream. Though he couldn't wait for the race to start, he had to admit the formalities were quite boring.

"...Gonati family is..."

Upon hearing his friend's last name, the dark-skinned inkling sat up straight, even leaning towards the edge of his seat. He turned to Asher, surprised.

"Your family's being represented?" he perplexed.

The green-haired inkling nodded. "Why wouldn't my family be represented?"

"...You have a point," the yellow-haired inkling admitted. The young adult said nothing more, returning his attention to the track. Unfortunately for Yuri, however, he missed hearing the representative's name.

The announcer finished speaking and turned the microphone over to an old woman, who was apparently the winner of the first ever race held in the town. She gave a story from her time and some encouragement before handing it back over to the announcer. Seven emblems, one resembling each racer, flashed on the jumbotron on the other side of the track.

"Now, ready those seahorses, and three... Two... One..." An inkling woman standing next to the track fired a Blaster into the air, creating a popping sound. "GO!"

The seahorses immediately darted off in a gallop, running around the track. Asher held up a sign depicting Tess's face on it and began to cheer her name. Down in the front row, Tiffany was doing the same thing, except she was holding a cut-out of Gary's head instead. Gary himself constantly tried to push Tess aside in an attempt to take the lead, but the girl did not once falter. She continued to storm ahead, eventually taking the lead. The race was over relatively quickly, with the green-haired girl taking first place. Her rival ended up taking second place.

The announcer—who turned out to be a sea urchin with his hair tied up—walked over to Tess, pointing a microphone towards her. "What do you have to say about your win, miss?"

"I..." She started before giving a huge grin. "I'm so happy! This is the first race I've ever won!"

"That's not fair!" Gary snapped. "She cheated!"

"I think you're the cheater here," the grouper pointed out.

"We all saw ya bump into her," added the shark.

"What? No, that's perfectly fair," he defended himself.

"Regardless of these allegations," the announcer continued, "the Gonati family last won in the 2012 race six years ago, the title being taken by Asher Gonati, who was aged 16 at the time. As you all know, he retired from seahorse racing two years later, Tess taking his place the following year at the young age of 12."

Bonnie blinked and looked down at the green-haired inkling. "You used to do seahorse races?" she realized, the remark directed towards Asher.

He nodded. "I started dating Tiffany after that race. And I did worse in the years to come because of her..." He lowered his sign and smiled. "I'm glad Tess could finally win."

"Wait," Via said. "I finally realized. Tess is your sister."

"And that means..." Bonnie started.

"Geneva gave Tess her Splattershot Pro!" Alexis finished. "How 'bout that?"

Asher's eyes widened. "How did you know...?"

"We met her in Inkopolis," the wavy-haired girl explained. "We helped her win a turf war against Octa Prisma."

"Anyways, Tess's the one who invited us here in the first place," Inigo continued. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

"Huh." He turned his attention back towards the starting line, where the contestants were positioned.

The green-haired girl looked towards the Rainbow Squids and waved. "Yo! Can you come down here?"

"Wanna come?" the boy with the ponytail asked the young adult inkling.

He smiled. "Sure."

The inklings walked down the steps until their feet touched the grass and stood near the girl with the ends of her hair cut off. Tiffany had joined Gary as well, as well as another red-haired inkling with a bowl cut. He seemed to be the same age as Alexis and Tess.

"Where did these friends come from?" questioned the new boy. "I thought you didn't have a lot of them."

Tess turned to him and stuck out a tongue. "Well, ha! I do now!"

"Who's that?" Yuri questioned with a whisper.

"That's Aaron," she replied. "He's also mean."

"So..." Inigo started. "Whatcha gonna do now?"

"I don't know..." she admitted. "Maybe we can go out for ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" Roy perked up. "Where?"

"It's on the other side of town," Tess explained, "but on the other hand, the town _is_ small. So it isn't too far from here! There's a nice hill we can sit at, too."

"Then it's decided," the indigo-haired boy declared. "We're going out for ice cream."

The group cheered and started to walk to the ice cream shop, leaving Tiffany and her siblings behind at the race track. On the trip there, they proceeded to talk about whatever came to mind, though the majority of them congratulated Tess on her win. Asher remained silent the entire time, and eventually, Tess asked why he was with them. Inigo explained that he was a friend from Inkopolis who was from the town. Yuri added that he didn't talk much. She took the explanation and spoke no further on him.

After about an hour of walking, they reached a parking lot with several benches set up. A small building was situated at the end of the lot, the sign denoting it as the ice cream shop. They ordered their ice cream, which Tess paid for. Perry offered to pay it for her, but she declined. She then led them to a small hill with a single tree at the top of it. They sat down in the shade, with Tess having her back to the tree trunk.

"You can see all of Kitano from here," informed the green-haired girl. "It's neat, isn't it?"

"Mhm," Asher spoke, catching her off-guard. "Reminds me of when we were kids."

"Huh? 'We?' Wait..."

He took off his sunglasses, revealing his green eyes. "Hi, Tess."

 _"Asher?!"_ she blurted out. "But I thought you weren't coming!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he told her. "...Plus Tiffany's in Inkopolis now, so I think that helped."

Her eyes widened. "Did she find you?"

"No!" he replied immediately. "But it's why I look like this now."

She scanned his face and smiled. "I like it."

"...You do?"

"Yeah! You're my brother, no matter what!" She gave Inigo her ice cream cone to hold and hugged Asher. "I'm so happy you came!"

"And I'm happy to see my sister win." The inkling with the side cut wrapped his free arm around his sister, his smile growing. "Congratulations."

She let go of him and took her cone back. "Where's Geneva?"

"Busy," he responded. "Like last time."

"Aw..." She pouted. "She would be ecstatic."

"Even if she isn't here..." He took out his phone and pulled up a picture of Geneva. "At least we have our memories." He placed the phone next to Tess, leaning it against the tree. The screen eventually faded to black.

The green-haired girl looked to the Rainbow Squids. "Shall we eat?"

"Yeah!" Yuri responded, pumping a fist. "It's the perfect way to end such a great day!"

The group laughed and continued to eat their ice cream, the afternoon sun beating down on them, bringing an end to this eventful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's another 7,000-word chapter. I didn't realize it would become so long, it just...happened. Anyways, I was saving the reveal at the end of the chapter until Season 4, but I figured, "Hey, why not do it now?". So, yeah, you got that. The schedule should be pretty normal from here on out, but of course, I'll make sure to mention any changes as we go on.


	63. Sports Enthusiasm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis asks Callie and Marie to join her in the Baseball vs. Soccer Splatfest.

_Alexis's PoV_

Alexis walked through the plaza, listening to Off the Hook as they performed Color Pulse, up on the stage that now roofed the area just outside the Deca Tower. The Rainbow Squids had already left to do a match, except Perry, who was trying to get Pearl's attention once more. She was dragged into choosing Team Baseball along with him, since neither inkling had a preference for either of the sports presented in this Splatfest—Baseball vs. Soccer. The other squid that had chosen Team Baseball, Yuri, was off doing a solo match. He was the only one of them that actually preferred baseball—he had played the sport at his old school, located in East Inkopolis.

While she wandered, she suddenly noticed Marie, standing over the manhole that led to Octo Canyon. She was snapping her fingers to the beat, a smile on her face. She glanced over at Perry once more. He was now holding a pen and paper up, jumping up and down. She smirked. She was sure it would be fine to leave him alone for a little bit. Alexis walked over to the idol, who dove into the grate out of reflex. She was about to follow her through when someone called her name.

"Alexis."

The short-haired inkling turned around to find Brayden approaching her. He wore a green t-shirt, marking him as a member of Team Soccer. Instead of the King facemask he usually wore, he was wearing an Oceanic hard hat.

The girl crossed her arms. "What do you want?" she questioned, her tone bitter.

"I just want to know..." he started, placing a hand on his chin. "Why do you not like us?"

"Because you're... You know." She was going to say 'octolings', but she didn't want to risk revealing the secret of Octa Prisma in public. Had it been a few months earlier, she would have completed her sentence, but her anger towards the group over winning the Deca Tournament had mostly faded by now.

He blinked. "Is that all?" She nodded. "Then what do you think about Marina?"

"Marina? I..." Her feelings on the octoling idol were mixed. Her battle against the Octarians had muddied her view of her, but she couldn't deny that Off the Hook's music is some of the freshest music out there. Still, she refused to watch Inkopolis News outside of Splatfest announcements. "I don't know."

He smirked. "So, you do not hate her."

"Well..."

"Then why does your hate only extend to us?"

"It isn't just to you. It's to your kind!"

"It is weird, you know. Seeing an inkling as smart as you." He laughed. "Most of the inklings that hate me are ancient. But splat them; the world has changed a lot in the past few years!"

She blinked. "You're not bothered by that?" Every other member of Octa Prisma did seem bothered by her distrust of them.

"No, of course not," he boasted. "In fact, this conversation helped me prove something."

"Prove what?"

"That you are the Dauntless."

"Huh?!" Alexis cried out, surprised. "But that's what-"

"I know," he interrupted her. "I was there."

"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows, furious. "You're a spy? I knew I couldn't trust you."

"You're right, but not in the sense you think," Brayden admitted.

"Go!" she demanded. "Don't you dare step another foot into Inkopolis."

"But-"

"I said, _go!_ "

Brayden shut his mouth, shifting a foot backwards. His blue eyes betraying his despair, he slinked back into the shadows. She turned her attention back to the manhole she stood just in front of, cursing herself for letting an enemy get so close to the group. She submerged into the grate, then emerging in Octo Canyon, now wearing her hero suit.

"Hey, Four!" Callie greeted. "I thought there was a Splatfest going on right now."

"There is," she confirmed, giving the illusion that she was calm, "but my team's not being helpful right now."

"I saw that Perry guy in the crowd watching Off the Hook," Marie noted. "He's part of your team, right?"

Alexis nodded. "He's just trying to get Pearl's autograph. Even if I dragged him away, he'd just come running back."

"And you Squid Sisters aren't gonna show up?" DJ Octavio grumbled from within his snow globe prison. "I thought those slimy hipsters loved ya!"

"Octavio, we went over this," the grey-haired inkling chastised him. "We don't host the news anymore, Off the Hook does."

"Besides, we'd just draw too much attention if we went out there," the black-haired inkling remarked with a sigh.

"Whatever," the giant octopus huffed. "They'll just follow this 'Off the Hook' instead."

"Speaking of Splatfests..." An idea popped into her head, her anger now fading away. "Would you like to come with me?"

"You have an open spot?" Marie noted.

"Yeah. It's just me and two other squids," she confirmed.

"Could I come?" Callie requested. "It's been _forever_ since I've done a Splatfest!"

"Then I'll stay here," the other idol announced. "Someone's gotta watch over Octavio."

"Sounds like a good plan," Alexis chirped.

"Alright. Don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry, Marie." Callie put on a pair of black shades that were lying next to her. "We won't. Promise!" She went into the cabin and retrieved an old Hero Roller from it. She put it away and stepped to the short-haired girl's side.

The grey-haired inkling waved at them. The two other inklings waved back before turning into squids, slipping to the grate to return to Inkopolis Square. Alexis was back to wearing her normal gear and the Splatfest tee, while Callie showed no change in her attire.

"The theme's Baseball vs. Soccer, right?" the black-haired inkling asked.

"Yep. I chose Baseball."

"Perfect! Baseball's the superb sport, after all!"

"Mhm."

They walked over to the Splatfest terminal, where a jellyfish was still handing out Splatfest tees. Callie approached it and selected Team Baseball, causing the jellyfish to give her a red-orange Splatfest tee, with Team Baseball's logo on it. She held up the tee with a smile.

"Yay!" She ran towards the Deca Tower. "Imma go put this on real fast. See ya in front of Sheldon's!"

"See ya—Wait, Sheldon's?!" Before Alexis could shout any further, Callie had already disappeared. "Oh..." She walked over in front of Ammo Knights, waiting for the idol to return. Indeed, she did, now wearing the Splatfest tee instead of her jacket. "So... Why are we here?" the bronze-skinned girl asked upon her arrival.

"I heard there's a roller with a Splat Bomb Launcher! I haven't got the chance to buy it yet, so I'm doing it now," she explained. "There was one back in the day, but you know how Bomb Rush is banned now. And seekers weren't the best weapon, now that I think 'bout it."

"I have no idea what a seeker is, but OK."

Callie entered the shop, and a few minutes later, she came out holding a brand-new Flingza Roller. "OK! Let's find your friends!"

Alexis looks towards the stage, where Yuri was waiting next to Perry. "That won't be hard." The two walked over to the duo, and the bronze-skinned girl proceeded to wave a hand in front of the pale-skinned boy.

"Woah! Alexis!" he exclaimed. "You..." His purple eyes drifted over towards Callie. "Oh, it's you."

"Geez, that's kinda harsh," the black-haired inkling remarked.

Perry looked away from her and crossed his arms. Yuri looked over at him and tried to ask what was wrong, but he did not answer.

"Anyways, One's gonna be on the same team as us for now," the short-haired inkling explained. "So, we don't have to deal with random teammates."

"Fresh!" Yuri exclaimed. "I hope she's good."

"Oh, don't worry," assured Alexis with a smile. "She's one of the best squids Inkopolis has to offer."

Callie smiled. "Aw, you really think?"

She nodded. "Yeah! Not only are you fresh, but you're super good with a roller, too!"

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

The spiky-haired inkling smiled as well. "Well, we'll be the judge of that, right, Perry?"

Perry looked over at him with a glare. "We've already seen her before, remember? In the subway?"

"In the..." His eyes widened with realization. " _Ohh,_ I remember now!" He scratched the back of his head. "Well, sorry 'bout that. I remember you being good then, so I bet you're even better now."

Callie simply gave a determined nod, and the group walked into Deca Tower. The other half of the Rainbow Squids were nowhere to be seen, much to Alexis's relief. She didn't want to face them in battle today—it would just be boring. She always appreciated someone new to fight. After pushing through tons of inklings, they finally entered an empty elevator.

"I swear there's always more squids every Splatfest," Yuri noted. "It's great, but sometimes I'm feeling claustrophobic."

Perry sighed. "Well, nothin' you can do 'bout it."

It did not take very long for the room to be filled. A few minutes later a team of inklings walked in, all wielding chargers. The first inkling to walk into the room, presumably the leader, was a girl with short hair, like Alexis herself, and light brown skin, wearing an Annaki mask and the black Norimakis 750s. In her hand was a Splatterscope. The fair-skinned girl behind her held a Bamboozler 14 Mk I, wearing a golf visor that pushed her pigtails up a little and some hunter hi-tops. The third inkling was a dark-skinned boy with a ponytail and a New Squiffer. He wore some SV925 circle shades and tan work boots. The final inkling, in the very back of the crowd, was a tan-skinned boy with spiky hair like Yuri, wielding a Custom E-liter 4K. He was presumably wearing fake contacts and had blue power stripes on his feet. All four inklings wore a green t-shirt that marked them as part of Team Soccer and had green eyes.

"Chargers?!" the pale-skinned inkling exclaimed. "This is gonna be a nightmare..." he exasperated.

"Hey, we'll win," Yuri promised his friend. "We have to!"

"I wouldn't count on it," the girl with light brown skin snickered. "We're some of the best chargers around. You won't stand a chance!"

"The Sniper's Creed," the boy wielding the New Squiffer boasted. "We won't you low-rank squids get in our way."

"Wha?! But I'm S+ rank! I think..." Callie cried out in confusion.

The girl with the pigtails blinked. "And whaddabout the rest of ya?"

"We're both S," the yellow-eyed inkling replied, pointing between him and Perry.

"I'm like, A rank," Alexis responded.

The first girl laughed. "Ha! What's a S+ squid doing with these losers?"

"You shoulda got with squids your own skill," the first boy jeered.

"Hey!" the black-haired inkling protested. "They're my friends! No matter the skill, it's having fun that matters most!"

"Yeah, but having friends your own skill level is even more fun," the second girl countered, leaning against the railing that circled the elevator.

"Oh, that's it!" Alexis snapped. "You're going down, Sniper's Creed!"

"Same to you!" shouted the first boy.

By now, the elevator started to descend as the two teams continued to argue with each other. By the time the floor opened to reveal grates underneath them, the leader of the team smirked.

"We'll see you on the battlefield," she announced.

Everyone turned into squids and swam through the grates to their next destination. The area was unfamiliar to Alexis, being located in a dark area with a starry background. Neon signs depicting Splatfest posts people had drawn decorated the area, and in the distance, she could see two towers. Grafitti covered the cement ground, and some grapplinks flew overhead. A Shifty Station.

"Marina helped make this stage, right?" Callie commented as they emerged onto the spawn points. "That's so fresh!"

Yuri nodded. "And that's just one of the reasons why I like Marina better than Pearl!"

"I think Pearl's better," Perry objected. "She has some sick raps, she's spunky, and she helps bring life to Off the Hook's songs."

"What? It's Marina that brings life to their songs! And she's super smart, too!" he argued back.

"There's no time to argue!" Alexis scolded them, in an attempt to bring them back to their senses. "We got a match to win."

"Oh, yeah!" the purple-eyed boy remembered. He swung his Sloshing Machine, creating a trail of red-orange ink for them to follow. However, the rest of the team did not follow him, instead going their own paths. The short-haired girl veered off to the right, inking the area with her Hero Dualies. She noticed Callie pushing her roller along in the canyon below, leaving a wide trail behind. After poorly inking the rightmost ramp, Alexis jumped down to join her. The group was quick to advance, quickly taking control of the central area. In the distance, she could faintly see thin trails of green ink, spread out over a wide area. The Sniper's Creed appeared to be advancing slowly, much to her pleasure. It meant that they could easily block them off.

Yuri shot at the grapplink floating above the bridge, flying up to the top. "Woah!" he gasped, surprised by the momentum. "That's superfresh!" He charged up his Heavy Splatling Deco and started firing out towards the opposing team's base. A few seconds later, however, ink pierced through his body, splatting him in an instant. Green fell to the floor, covering up even more turf. Taking his place was the boy with the New Squiffer from earlier.

"Looks like our E-liter got your friend," he sneered at Perry, who witnessed the attack. "Splatlings are no match for us."

"Whaddabout sloshers?" he teased.

His eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge?"

"Why, yes, in fact." He hurled a blob of ink at the grapplink above, flying to meet the dark-skinned inkling at eye level. "Let's go!"

He pointed his charger at Perry, but he did not begin to charge it. Instead, he stood still, taking the hits from the Sloshing Machine. He quickly splatted, causing the pale-skinned boy to let out a cheer. Unfortunately, he was splatted only a second later.

Callie arrived next to Alexis, surprised. "Wow," she muttered. "They're almost as good as Marie!"

"You're good too," she noted. "What do you do to beat Marie?"

"I sneak up on her," she replied. "Get a team to ink around her, and bam! She's down!"

"You think we could do that with this team?"

"For sure!"

She nodded. "Then it's settled."

"Charge!"

The two inklings started advancing up the bridge, inking anything they can. The girl with the pigtails was now approaching with her Bamboozler. She tried shooting at the two, but Callie proceeded to throw a splash wall in front of her, falling onto their attacker. She narrowly avoided the object and proceeded to activate her special weapon—Tenta Missiles. The Bamboozler-wielder fired it at them, forcing them to scatter. Alexis activated her own Tenta Missiles at the bottom of the bridge, but before she fired, she examined the targets that showed up on the radar.

They were considerably spread-out, yet they were also advancing towards her.

She spotted the boy with the Custom E-liter 4K on one perch, a grapplink hanging above him. She fired at him and then tried to super-jump back to Yuri was, closer to spawn. However, as soon as she fired the missiles, a Sting Ray suddenly appeared, piercing through her. She splatted just before she could super-jump. As her ghost floated away, she spotted Callie flying towards the grapplink above the E-liter boy, swinging the Flingza Roller down and splatting him.

When Alexis respawned, she went with her original plan—super-jump to Yuri. She landed on a perch similar to the one the boy with the E-liter had, though obviously it was on her team's side of the map. The girl with pigtails had pushed into her base, dodging the yellow-eyed inkling's shots with grace. She shot at the grapplink above them, flying up towards the two. She fired two shots at Yuri on the way down, splatting him and leaving green ink at Alexis's feet. The bronze-skinned girl rolled to the side and fired at the Bamboozler-wielder, splatting her with a few quick bullets from her dualies.

"Booyah," she muttered in an attempt to sound cool. She covered up the turf left behind by the girl with pigtails and returned to the middle, where she saw Perry slosh enemies from the bridge. Callie covered the other side of him, having activated her Splat Bomb Launcher. Though the bombs were efficient in covering up turf quickly, Alexis froze as they fell towards her side of the bridge.

In an instant, she was back in DJ Octavio's lair, paralyzed as huge bombs surrounded her. The remix of Bomb Rush Blush echoed in her head as they started to expand. They exploded, and she thought she was splatted. ...Except, she wasn't. As quickly as they came, the bombs were gone, and she was back in the Shifty Station.

She backed up, perplexed. _What was that?_ she thought in horror. Alexis shook her head, dispelling the negative thoughts. _No, I have to focus on now!_ She rushed up the bridge and jumped towards the enemy's side, only to be pierced with a beam almost immediately. Once again, she was back at spawn. She super-jumped back to Perry to try a different method. When she arrived, Perry had just splatted, his clothes disappearing around her. Standing at the other end of the bridge was the boy with the New Squiffer once more. A Baller suddenly surrounded him, and he rushed towards the short-haired girl. She submerged into the ink and swam away as fast as she could.

She heard the Baller explode, so she emerged from the ink and looked over at him. The dark-skinned inkling struck a pose, satisfied at the turf he had inked from the explosion. However, his celebration came a little too early, as globs of ink started to rain down on him. Standing on a small box was Yuri, firing his Heavy Splatling Deco. The team then met up where the Squiffer-wielder had splatted, hoping to discuss their next plans.

"We're winning," the spiky-haired boy mused. "We're doing great!"

"The battle's not over yet," Alexis noted. "We still have over a minute to go."

"So we'll have to do our best to win!" Callie exclaimed. "Right, right?"

"Yeah," Perry agreed. "But remember—it's the fun that counts, aight?"

"Anywho, my plan was to surround the chargers with ink and catch them off-guard," the black-haired inkling continued. "It's how I beat Mar-" She paused, and then corrected herself, "My cousin."

"Sounds like it could work," the pale-skinned boy admitted.

"Let's try it!" the dark-skinned inkling chirped.

"Alrighty!" She lifted her Flingza Roller up, swinging it vertically towards the grapplink above the bridge. She flew up to the top and stuck a tongue out. "Last one here's a rotten egg!"

"Hey, no fair!" Alexis started running up the ramp, seeing as she could not reach the grapplink from where she stood. The other boys were easily able to get to the top. When they arrived, Perry pulled out his Sting Ray, firing it at the perch from earlier, where the boy with the Custom E-liter 4K had reassumed his position. In response, he pulled out a Bubble Blower and swung the wand as fast as he could, creating a shield around him. The boy aimed it slightly upwards, causing the giant laser to connect with the grapplink above. He flew over to the perch and threw an autobomb at his feet. The bomb exploded on impact with the bubble, splatting the E-liter boy.

"Booyah!" everyone cheered. Yuri pulled out his own Bubble Blower, swinging the bubbles in such a way that they floated down to the canyon below. Callie began swinging at the bubbles, eventually making them pop. Coating the area with red-orange ink, she dove into it, ripples marking her movement. Alexis jumped down as well, inking whatever turf was uncovered by her team's ink. Thanks to their efforts, the Sniper's Creed was pushed back drastically.

The girl with the Splatterscope stood on a small tower, her charger lowered. "I'm impressed!" she shouted down at them. "You pushed us back a lot. But we're not done yet!" The girl with pigtails landed next to her, a smile on her face. "Gracie, it's Tenta Missile time!"

"Got it," the Bamboozler-wielder complied, her name presumably Gracie. She pulled out her special weapon and locked it onto the group below. She pressed the trigger, firing a dozen missiles down on them. Alexis and Callie found themselves unable to escape the tight area, splatting both of them.

With now less than a minute left on the clock, there was now the chance that the Sniper's Creed could push through and win. Yet, the two girls decided to continue their strategy. They super-jumped to Yuri, only to be splatted on the spot.

"Barnacles!" Callie pouted. "What now?"

"Like Yuri would say, we just have to keep pushing forward," Alexis encouraged. "So, let's do it!"

The idol gave a nod of affirmation. "Yeah!"

They swam towards the middle, emerging when they met enemy ink. While earlier it was clear that their team was winning, the winner was now unclear. Both sides had rather equal control of the map. The only thing to do now was keep pushing forward. It wasn't long before Alexis's special was fully charged again, and she took the opportunity to use it. She didn't even look at who she was targeting before pressing the trigger, and before she knew it, she watched as red-orange missiles rained down on the enemy team.

Trails of green ink fell to the ground in an attempt to splat the other team, but thankfully, they were unsuccessful. Callie covered the bridge, crushing the girl with the Splatterscope with her roller, and activated her special once more. She started to hurl bombs left and right, but the panic from earlier started to settle in again. Echoing in Alexis's head were DJ Octavio's insults, calling her naïve. She had brushed it off then, but it haunted her now.

 _I'm not naïve,_ she told herself. _Far from it._ Perhaps she was a little naïve before she set off of on her journey to save the Great Zapfish and Callie. But now? Becoming Agent 4 had changed her in more ways in one. She was stronger, but at what cost...? No matter what, her resolve to do the right thing persisted.

"Alexis!" Perry called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "What're ya doing?!"

She blinked, realizing the bombs were gone. With a sigh of relief, she called back, "Sorry! I was just thinking!"

The short-haired inkling tried a different route this time. She swam past the ramp to find a grapplink that would lead her over to the enemy side. She threw a burst bomb at it, causing her to fly over. It was where the boy with the Custom E-liter 4K was located, catching him by surprise.

"How?!" he exclaimed, backing up as he fired the charger as fast as he could. Unfortunately, he was no match for Alexis, being splatted by her rather swiftly. Now that she had infiltrated the other side, she could work to regain some turf here. She painted the canyon, sneaking up on the boy with the New Squiffer while he worked to combat it. He threw an autobomb to the ground before he was splatted, causing the bomb to waddle towards Alexis. She let out a curse as she realized its presence and swam away, though she did not escape unscathed. She emerged with her back up against a tower, green ink dripping off of her from the bomb.

Another Sting Ray appeared, targeted towards Alexis once more. She dodge-rolled out of the way, but it still persisted, slowly drawing near. She continued to dodge, and soon, the beam was gone. However, much thinner beams were now targeting her, charged shots just barely missing her. Looking around, she took note of the positions the other team took. The girl with the Splatterscope stood on the ramp, trying to hit the bronze-skinned girl. Gracie had also appeared, charging up a curling bomb. It slid towards her, disrupting her step. In a risky move, she rolled backwards, but nothing happened to her. She was safe.

She looked over her shoulder to see Callie standing where she was. The black-haired inkling jumped from the ramp, her Flingza Roller held up high as she barreled towards the girl with the Bamboozler.

"Mini special attack!" she exclaimed. "One!" She glanced towards Alexis and mouthed 'four'.

Her hair began to glow as she rolled towards the girl, pressure building up in her dualies. "Four!"

They unleashed their attacks, ink raining down on the girl with pigtails. She let out a scream as the two ink waves collided with her, splatting immediately. They looked at each other, smiling, and walked over for a high-five. After that, the whistle blew, ending the match.

Yuri and Perry arrived at the top of the bridge, the latter pumping a fist. "Booyah!" he cheered.

"We won!" exclaimed the former. "I can see how much turf we've inked from here."

"It's not official 'til Judd says it," Alexis noted. "But for sure, it's a win!"

"Hmph," huffed a voice from above them. The girl with the Splatterscope was standing on the tower, her charger at her feet. She had her arms crossed. "You just got lucky!"

The boy with the New Squiffer popped out from behind her. "Yeah, we'll beat you next time!"

"Then how 'bout we leave the lobby and never talk to ya again," Perry scoffed, walking over to Callie and Alexis. "You're just a bunch of stuck-up squids anyways."

"Stuck-up?!" the Splatterscope-wielder fumed. "You little maggot!"

"Maggot?! Well, you're a dogfish!" he snapped. The girl was noticeably taken aback at the insult.

"Wah! Don't fight!" the idol tried to pacify them.

"Yeah, can't we all get along?" Yuri added, rushing over to them.

She paused, and then, pointing a finger at Perry, she accused, "Slosher guy started it!"

"Nah, you did, so ya got it," the purple-eyed inkling defended, crossing his arms.

It was then Judd and Li'l Judd arrived on a box behind them, much to the group's surprise. They turned towards the cats and watched as they danced. The larger cat struck out a red-orange flag, marking Team Baseball's win this match.

"OK, it's judged," the boy with the New Squiffer started. "Let's get out of here."

The Sniper's Creed super-jumped out of the Shifty Station, leaving the Rainbow Squids plus Callie alone. They super-jumped back to the tower themselves shortly thereafter to find that the team of chargers really had left. Now, the group was alone, waiting for another group of inklings to walk in and challenge them to a battle.

"Hey, One?" Alexis called the black-haired inkling to attention, looking up at her. "Thanks for coming with us." She pumped a fist. "We couldn't have done it without you."

She smiled. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, it was your plan that helped us win the match!" Yuri agreed.

Perry remained silent for a few moments, and then he sighed. "Yeah, yeah, they're right."

"Thanks a bunch!" Callie pumped a fist, her mouth wide open. "Who knew Alexis had such great friends?"

The purple-eyed inkling shuffled his feet. "...Will we see you again?"

"If she asks, then yeah," she confirmed. "I'm always up for a battle."

He rolled his eyes. "Great..."

"I still don't get why you've been acting weird around her," Yuri noted. "She never did anything."

"W-Well..." It was then another team of inklings walked it, all wearing identical outfits. "Later," he dismissed.

Alexis nodded. "Looks like our next match is now."

"Onward!" Callie cheered. "And may the best sport win!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the first Splatfest chapter for Season 3. And I assure you, some things in this chapter will be brought up again in the future. How story mode has affected each of the agents is something that especially intrigues me, since I like to explore that kind of stuff. Actions and their consequences, if you get what I mean. It'll only get worse for poor Alexis from here. What about Agents 3 and 8? We'll talk about them when we get there. The next chapter is a type of chapter I haven't done in a while, so I think you'll enjoy its return.


	64. Ditching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instead of shopping for groceries like her mother asked, Bonnie goes to do a Salmon Run instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Grizz's dialogue is taken from the game.

_Bonnie's PoV_

While Bonnie was scrolling through Squidsagram on her phone, she suddenly heard a knock on the door to her bedroom. She set the device down and walked over to the door to open it. Standing in the doorway was her mom, a piece of neon yellow paper in her hand.

"Bonnie," her mom started. "Could you go to MakoMart, please?"

"Sure." She took the note and read its contents. It listed ingredients for a traditional dish, one that was her father's favorite. She didn't like it much herself, but if it made her family happy, she would eat it. A problem rose in the fact that she had other plans today. Grizzco's was set to close in about three hours, and she wanted to get her superbonuses before it closed.

Yet, she couldn't ignore her mother's request. It would be quite disrespectful, and in the back of her mind, she feared what punishment would come.

"Be back before nightfall," she said. The words were innocent enough, but the threat of potential consequences still loomed over Bonnie's head.

"I will," she promised, though she worried she would not be able to live up on them.

The blue-haired girl exited the house and climbed into the silver car her family owned, where she proceeded to drive towards closer towards the center of Inkopolis. She approached the premises of MakoMart, and turned into the parking lot. Yet, she did not exit the car right away. Her eyes glanced down at the clock. It was almost 6:00 PM, when the current rotation for ink battles would shift. Yet, based on past days, she predicted that the sun would set in less than two hours. She had to make a decision, and quick.

 _I'm sure doing a Salmon Run wouldn't hurt,_ she reasoned. _It'd only take like, twenty minutes anyways._

She backed out of the parking lot and started to drive to Inkopolis Square. After she arrived in the parking space, she hopped out of the car and started running towards Grizzco Industries. A few minutes later, she arrived, out-of-breath. Interestingly, dozens of inklings flocked inside. With how quickly the line was going, she would be on a boat in no time.

Mr. Grizz welcomed her and then directed her to an old elevator. She stepped inside with a few other inklings, but as it descended with a creak, she began to examine them, only to realize that she knew them. Iris and Brayden, who were holding hands, were present, alongside a fair-skinned inkling that resembled Geneva. Tess.

The green-haired girl's eyes widened. "Bon-Bon! You do Salmon Runs too?"

Iris retracted her hand from Brayden and looked over at the beige-skinned girl. "What?! You are not suppose to being here!"

She frowned, unsure what to say. "Well..."

"I guess we can show how much better we are at Salmon Runs," Brayden remarked. "We know you do a lot of them, so we decided to do a bunch of them and get all the way up to Profreshional."

"I'm a Profreshional too..." she murmured. Granted, she had just gotten back to Profreshional the other day after dropping out of it for a month following a series of bad waves. Who knows what rank the two octolings were at?

"Wow, you squids are strong!" Tess exclaimed, starry-eyed. "I'm only a Go-Getter!"

"Didn't you _just_ come to Inkopolis a week ago?" she pointed out.

"It's almost two weeks," she corrected. "I've been playing so much Salmon Run! It's super fun!"

"Makes sense."

The elevator stopped, and the floor opened underneath them with a hiss. "Go," the indigo-haired girl demanded. Everyone slipped through the grate, and a few moments later, they were sent flying towards the boat. They landed on the deck, reforming into kids.

The girl with the double bun walked over to the weapon listing and read it out loud. "Flingza Roller, .96 Gal, Dark Tetra Dualies, and..." She gasped. "A Splat Charger!"

"A Splat Charger..." Tess groaned. "It sucks!"

Bonnie flinched. " _Sucks?_ No, it's awesome."

"You." Iris pointed at the green-haired inkling, scowling. "Deal with it." She started heading to the door that would lead below deck. "I hope you know using it."

"I..." The green-haired girl trailed off.

"I know how to use a Splat Charger," Brayden bragged, crossing his arms. "I know how to use _everything._ "

"Even a Tenta Brella?" the blue-haired girl marveled.

"Y-Yes," he stuttered, a nervous smile coming across his face. "Even a Tenta Brella."

"Wow!" Tess exclaimed. "I wish I had your skills!"

Octavia's voice seemed to chastise her. _He's probably lying,_ she scolded. _Just trying to make himself seem better than everyone else._

Bonnie put a beige-skinned hand on her wrist. Brayden probably was lying, but it was fun to toy with the idea that he could be master at every single weapon out there. Consequently, though, the octoling seemed to enjoy the praise, his head held up high as the boat departed from Inkopolis. His tentacles whipped in the sea breeze as he looked towards the sky.

Iris soon came back on deck, wearing the Grizzco Industries uniform, and scolded everyone. "What?! Stop to stand and go to dress!"

"R-Right!" complied the green-haired inkling. Every ran below deck, towards the changing rooms. Bonnie quickly found the uniform and changed into it. She set her glasses down and put in her contacts before picking them back up and exiting the changing room. She stored her clothes away and returned to the deck of the both. Iris simply glanced towards and smirked upon her arrival.

The rest of the trip was met with relative silence, with only Brayden and Iris talking among themselves. Bonnie so desperately wanted to break the awkwardness, but she didn't know what to say. She puckered her lip and continued staring out towards the new sunset. Eventually, a series of platforms started to come into view, with some towers depicting various foods floating around the area. None of them appealed to her, but it was evident that they were great for attracting salmonids. The waves rippled in the setting sun, as if something was within the depths of the ocean.

The boat came to a stop, where everyone changed their ink to an indigo color, looking blue in some lights, and violet in others. They super-jumped to the center of the map, where they would receive their weapons. A few seconds later, Bonnie felt two things appear in her hands. When she emerged, she found herself holding some Dark Tetra Dualies.

 _Of course I got the dualies..._ she lamented in her head. She started inking the area around her, paying no attention to the tide. She looked back over at the basket, only to find that it was absent. She noticed Iris, who held a Flingza Roller, creating a path to the shore.

"Low tide!" she called. "This way!"

"Low tide?!" Tess gasped. "This is gonna be great!"

The group swam down to the shore using the path the poufy-haired octoling had created. As soon as they arrived, lesser salmonids were immediately crawling up the midmost sandbar, leaving a trail of green slime behind them as they slid towards the inklings and octolings. Two Steelheads appeared right behind them, lumbering towards them as well.

"There two bosses," Iris noted.

"I know," Brayden said. Chuckling, he spun the Splat Charger in his hands. "Luckily, I have the best weapon to use against them."

The octoling with a side cut rushed up to them and started charging his weapon. Both Steelheads stopped, and with a grunt, a bomb started to expand from their heads. Aiming it up at one of them, he fired, and both boss salmonids exploded, a total of six golden eggs floating down to the floor.

"Wow! That was so fresh!" Tess complimented. She started running back and forth from the pile of eggs to the basket, shooting any salmonids that came in her way with the .96 Gal. Bonnie helped out too, while Iris and Brayden started to defeat bosses. The laser from a Stinger appeared for a split second before the girl with the double bun her pots and pans crash down behind her, signaling its swift defeat. After the eggs from the Steelheads were gone, she started swimming over to the edge of the shore to collect the remaining golden egg—the octolings had collected the other two.

"Oh!" the girl with the ends of her hair cut off sounded. "There's a Flyfish!" She pointed to the boss salmonid that flew in from the left side of the map, opening its baskets to shoot a few green missiles into the air. "We gotta take it out as soon as possible!"

"Why not just leave it there?" Brayden suggested. "We can handle a few of them."

"Yes, but they might multiply," Bonnie countered. "We can't let that happen."

"I never taking of you to be leader," Iris scoffed. "Now it different?"

The blue-eyed inkling shrunk away. "Don't you want to win?"

"Yes."

"Then you have to know how dangerous they can be."

"Inklings do not have the agility." She crossed her arms. "I am the trained of soldiers. I can do the dodging and I live."

Bonnie heard something crash from her side, and she looked over to see that Tess had successfully taken down the Flyfish. She started dancing before a stray missile crashed down on her, splatting her. Alarmed, Iris started running over towards the site. She placed her roller down and ran over the life preserver Tess had popped up in, reviving her. Both of them grabbed golden eggs and swam back to the basket.

Meanwhile, Brayden was battling a Steel Eel. He ran around in circles, the boss tying itself into knots. The lethal wall now protected the driver, and even worse, it showed no signs of unwrapping itself. Eventually, the Steel Eel wrapped itself around the tan-skinned boy, splatting him as well.

"Carp!" the other octoling exclaimed. The boss salmonid unwrapped itself and started to charge towards Bonnie. She rolled out of the way, and with the driver exposed, Iris slammed the roller down on it, causing the salmonid to splat and the machine to fall apart. An indigo trail was all that was left to mark that it had ever been there.

Tess revived Brayden, and the three collected the eggs the Steel Head dropped.

"Woo! We met the quota!" the fair-skinned inkling cheered. "Now it's boss-smashing time!"

"Don't get cocky," the beige-skinned inkling warned. "Let's try to get a big bonus instead."

"And we do that by smashing bosses," she pointed out. "So, let's have it!"

"...You're right."

A Scrapper started to charge towards them, targeting Tess. She ran towards the center of the map in an attempt to avoid it. Brayden pointed his charger at its back and fired it, causing it to explode in a puddle of indigo ink. The green-eyed girl went back and collected the eggs before trying to tackle another boss—a Drizzler. It sat near the water, having just launched a torpedo. It flipped upside down, revealing the salmonid underneath. Both Tess and Bonnie started to attack it, quickly splatting it. In the distance, she heard the torpedo release the ink storm in contained, which would now be floating away from there.

Afterwards, more missiles started to target them. They scattered, and green puddles of ink were left in the missiles' wake. Just as they thought they could catch a break, another set of missiles was set flying towards them. Backing up, Bonnie spotted two Flyfish at opposite ends of the shore. A Stinger was now emerging from the murky ocean as well, arriving next to the Flyfish situated towards the right.

Brayden and Iris worked together to take down the left Flyfish, taking the eggs it left behind. Bonnie swam down to take the last egg, but she was interrupted when a Steel Eel climbed out of the sea, knocking her over. She started to scream and tried to scramble away, but it simply ran her over. Worse of all, it appears that she wasn't even the target. It reared left from the basket, towards the middle end of the sandbar, where Tess was located.

"Help!" she cried, jumping up and down as she advanced towards the octolings. Iris was rolling over some lesser salmonids, while Brayden chucked a bomb into one basket of the remaining Flyfish. It still managed to send out missiles before the basket was destroyed. The tan-skinned octoling then turned around and began charging his Splat Charger to a range that would reach Bonnie. He released the trigger, sending a wave of ink towards her and reviving her. Revitalized, she set her sights on the Steel Eel once more. Tess was cornered, threatened to fall into the ocean by emerging lesser salmonids. With the help of the Dark Tetra Dualies, she rolled over to the driver and shot it, causing it to fall. "Hurry!" she called out towards Tess. "Before you splat!"

A Cohock slammed the pan it held into her back, making her fly forwards. She scrambled to her feet and just barely made it over to Bonnie, where she grabbed one of the golden eggs that remained. After placing the eggs inside, the basket retreated, marking the end of the wave.

"Good," Iris said, walking over to the inklings. "However, do no slacking."

"I'm not slacking," the girl with the ends of her hair cut off protested.

"You are the only one of us who is not a Profreshional," Brayden pointed out, joining the rest of them.

"I'm still just as good," she argued. "You can watch me in the next wave!"

They proceeded to super-jump back to the center of the map, where they would get their next set of weapons. Bonnie emerged with a Splat Charger, causing her to smile. Meanwhile, Tess had the Flingza Roller, Iris had the .96 Gal, and Brayden had the Dark Tetra Dualies. The water rose to normal levels, and Mr. Grizz whispered in her ear, informing her to keep collecting golden eggs.

Out towards the docks, a Stinger appeared in the midst of several chums. Everyone immediately started going towards it, quickly knocking it down. They collected the golden eggs and returned to the basket, dealing with any lesser salmonids that tried to attack them. Bonnie next dealt with a Steelhead on the other side of the map, coming up the ramp that led to the main area. She aimed her charger at the bomb and fired, causing it to blow up and leave eggs behind. She inked the wall and started collecting them, one at a time.

Thankfully, the second wave proceeded much like the first wave, though the group was more spread-out. Towards the middle of the wave, two Drizzlers had appeared, sending out torpedoes consecutively. The result was chaos, with her teammates splatting, only leaving Bonnie herself standing. In a panic, she activated her special, Inkjet. She lifted up into the air and started shooting wildly. She managed to revive one teammate with her shot, and after that, she focused her aim on the Drizzlers. She took out one of them before flying back to the spot where she started the special weapon up.

Everyone else was revived, causing her anxiety to fade away. Iris and Brayden took care of the remaining Drizzler, and the wave proceeded rather smoothly. Right at the end of the wave, a Maws leapt up into the air and bit into Tess, splatting her. The Maws swam away, and she reformed as a life preserver. No one bothered to revive her, considering that it was the end of the second wave. They super-jumped to the middle once more, where the younger inkling revived. She took a little more than the rest of them to emerge with a new weapon.

Bonnie broke out in a cold sweat when she saw the weapon she now held in her hands. A Flingza Roller. She couldn't use any roller for the life of her. Octavia, Inigo, and her father had all tried to teach her how to use one, but she never got the hang out of it. She always retreated in the sight of danger. That was why she liked the charger—she could stay out of the action while still helping her team.

The sky grew dark, and the tide rose, only making her worry even more. Small lights shined in the distance as a red laser suddenly fell upon her.

"Here comes a Griller..." Mr. Grizz sighed, his voice crackling over the radio. "Aim for its exposed tail. That'll let your coworkers know where to shoot, too." The aforementioned boss salmonid arrived on shore, accompanied by a lot of smallfries.

"Get to higher ground!" Brayden demanded.

Everyone climbed up to the platform next to the basket. Bonnie slammed her roller down on the ground as protection from any smallfries that may try to splat her. The blue-eyed octoling held out the .96 Gal he held, smiling.

"Now, we have to get it before it reaches Bonnie." He turned around to face the rest of the group. "Right?"

"Right," Iris agreed. She glanced over at Tess. "You, too."

The fair-skinned inkling nearly dropped the Splat Charger she held. "Wha?! Why me? I'll be useless out there!"

"Throw bombs," the poufy-haired girl deadpanned. "Splat the smallfries."

She nodded, and the three departed from the peak. Now, only Bonnie stood next to the basket, nervous as she watched them trail behind the Griller. Tess tried aiming at the boss salmonid's tail, and with one shot, the grill burst open, revealing several more tails. The beige-skinned inkling lifted her roller in the air for a long-distance vertical swing, and a few seconds later, a wave of ink was sent flying towards it. It splatted, leaving five golden eggs behind. They proceeded to collect them, and then, another Griller appeared, targeting Iris this time.

She climbed to where Bonnie was once sitting and pointed to the boss salmonid. The blue-eyed girl nodded, when suddenly she felt something nip at her ankles. She looked down to see smallfries attacking her. She swung down her roller, destroying the tiny creatures, and then swung vertically at the Griller's tail. Brayden attacked it as well, and it soon burst open. Together, the group shot it down, allowing them to collect golden eggs once more.

Another griller appeared, shortly followed by another. One targeted Iris, while the other targeted Brayden. Both of them went to opposite high points of the map.

"Carp! We can't take two of them!" Tess panicked, gripping the sides of her head. "Especially not with this Splat Charger!"

"Calm down," she told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Keep your calm and aim."

The younger girl blushed, and then nodded. She looked towards the Griller heading towards the basket, pointing the charger towards the tail. She fired, and it burst open. Iris rolled towards it, and the three of them banded together to take it down. The octoling proceeded to ignore the golden eggs and immediately swam over towards Brayden. He was backing up towards the ledge as the boss salmonid approached him. Some smallfries ran towards him, and it was then he pulled out Sting Ray. However, he was only able to activate for a split second, as the smallfries pushed him into the water directly afterwards.

"No!" Iris yelled. The Griller shifted its attention to Tess, causing the girl with the ends of her hair cut off to flee.

"Get the eggs!" Bonnie demanded. "We still have to meet the quota!"

"But-"

"You can revive him later! Just get the eggs while Tess distracts the Griller!"

"You _not_ telling me what to do!" she snarled. She threw a bomb in Bonnie's face, causing her to stumble backwards. The bomb fell to the ground, exploding only to cover a few spots of ink. The beige-skinned girl grumbled and began collecting the eggs left behind by the last Griller. Just after she put the last egg in, meeting the quota, another laser fell on her. Another Griller had arrived.

Tess had returned after circling around the grates, almost out of breath. She activated her special—Splat Bomb Launcher—and began throwing bombs towards the boss salmonid. Though they were destroyed on contact with the green ink flowing from the grill, bombs thrown closer towards her feet successfully eliminated the smallfries.

Bonnie climbed up the platform next to the basket and swung her roller at the Griller targeting Tess. With one hit, it burst open, allowing both inklings to attack it. The grill soon crashed to the ground, leaving behind five golden eggs. The blue-eyed girl smiled, but it fell when she heard rattling behind her. She let out a small shriek and activated the second Inkjet. She hovered above the griller, staying still below her. She thought about flying backwards, but was interrupted when Brayden yelled:

"Stay right there!"

"We will be the handle of the Griller!" Iris declared.

The poufy-haired octoling ran up to back end of the Griller and leaped up into the air to perform a Splashdown. As expected, it bust open, allowing Bonnie to shoot it with her Inkjet. It splatted just before her special expired, landing in an area surrounded by golden eggs. However, she didn't have a chance to put any of them in, as they disappeared as the basket retracted into its resting place. The sky got brighter, and the remaining smallfries fled.

"...Booyah!" Tess exclaimed.

"Booyah!" Bonnie followed.

The group super-jumped back to the boat, where Mr. Grizz relayed the stats to them. The beige-skinned inkling set the Flingza Roller down as her ink changed back to her normal blue color. She thought about staying for another round...when she remembered she still had a chore to do.

"I can't stay," she murmured, disappointed. "I don't want my mom to be mad at me."

"Aw..." the green-eyed girl pouted. "We can play next time!"

She chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, next time."

Iris grumbled, "Inconvenient..."

The boat started heading back towards Inkopolis. She quickly changed and arrived back on deck, patting the piece of paper that was in the pocket of her sweatpants. To her alarm, the sunset remained when they returned, even if the sun appeared higher in the sky than back at the Spawning Grounds. Without saying goodbye, she super-jumped off the boat, right back in Inkopolis Square. She ran to the parking lot and hopped into her car, where she drove to the nearest MakoMart.

She entered and exited the grocery store in record time, carrying two bags with the ingredients her mom needed for dinner. From there, she drove back to her home, where she started pounding on the front door.

Her father answered the door, surprised. "Why so anxious?" he questioned.

"Sorry I'm late..." she muttered, handing the bags to him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I just got home. Though, I'll be honest, I thought you would be home, too." The girl with the double bun frowned. "Come in," he told her. "Your mother was almost going to make dinner without you."

She simply nodded and walked inside, taking a seat on the couch. Her father gave the older woman the groceries, and she smiled. She took the ingredients out and began to make the traditional dish. To Bonnie's surprise, they didn't seem mad. In fact, they were relatively jubilant.

 _They're not mad,_ she thought. She looked down at her feet and smiled. _They're not mad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A relatively simple chapter today; it's not very deep. Just some Salmon Run fun while Iris and Brayden try to hide their relationship from Bonnie. The next chapter will be an interesting one.


	65. Crashing Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite being aware of the risks, the Vigilante takes Wyatt's girlfriend out on a date.

_Inigo's PoV_

The Vigilante looked down at the alleyway from the top of the fire escape, watching as a burly shark approached an inkling girl about his age. His red tentacles blew in the wind as he slung the 'Hero' Roller over his shoulders. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen...

"Hand over the sea bunny," the shark demanded, his voice gravelly, "and no one gets hurt."

"No!" the girl cried, holding back a large, white nudibranch. "You can't just take Fluffy-chan!"

"Of course I can," he sneered. "Ya know, they go for a lot of money..."

"Nooo!" she shrieked.

He clenched a fist, his eyes narrowing under his tinted shades. _I have to do something!_ Without a second thought, he leaped from the fire escape, roller in hand. He slammed it down on the shark's head, stunning him.

"Agh..." he moaned, rubbing his head. The large figure then shook his head and studied the two inklings. "Huh?! Not the Vigilante!" He scurried off, leaving the two alone.

"You..." The girl trailed off. "You saved Fluffy-chan! Thank you!"

The Vigilante turned around and bowed. "I couldn't just let an innocent civilian get robbed out of squid's best friend."

The inkling girl set the sea bunny down. It slithered towards the boy with the ponytail and rested on his shoe. While his back was still bent, he smiled at the pet nudibranch. He straightened and pushed his shades back up the bridge of his nose.

"I think she likes you," she commented.

"Yeah," he agreed, putting his roller away. "I think she does."

The Vigilante proceeded to study the girl whose pet he had saved. _Wait a moment..._ She had olive skin, yellow-green eyes, and long hair that had been thrown back. On her head was a yellow-green backwards cap that matched her ink color, and she also wore a layered Vector LS and athletic arrows. _That's Wyatt's girlfriend. I didn't know she had a pet._

"Uh... You there?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry," he replied. "I was just thinking..."

"Oh?"

"Would you..." He hesitated. He didn't want to propose to her outright, seeing as her relationship with Roy's cousin seemed stable. It never stopped him, but things were different when it was someone he actually knew. Instead, he tried a different approach. "...Like to go to Coral Rings with me?"

"Coral Rings?" She blinked. "That's in the Reef, right?"

He nodded. "It allows pets, so you can bring Fluffy-chan, too."

"Well..."

"Please?"

She smiled. "Sure." She grabbed Fluffy's leash, and the two inklings started to travel towards the Reef. Considering that the Vigilante was still wearing a hero costume, he expected people to take notice of him. But, to his surprise, no one batted an eye.

 _That's weird,_ he noted to himself. _Not even a fan ran up to me._ He put a hand on his chest, frowning. _Am I losing my popularity?_

He didn't ponder on it much longer, as they were quick to arrive to Coral Rings. He pushed the door open and was met by the comforting green walls of the café. He had only been here a few times ever since his blind date with Fable. Though it didn't have his favorite drinks here, it did feel rather homely.

Unfortunately, his confidence began to drop when he spotted a few familiar faces at the back of the room. Roy, Yuri, Perry, and Wyatt were all sitting at the same table, talking among themselves. Thankfully, Wyatt had his back to the Vigilante and the girl he was with, so he would be safe...for now. Roy was directly across from his cousin, his arms crossed as he talked about something the boy with the ponytail couldn't make out.

His indigo eyes fell on the table closest to the entrance. He had an idea.

"Uh, Vigilante?" she asked. "Are you sure we can be here?"

"Sit there," he instructed, pointing at the chair leaning up against the wall. The fair-skinned inkling himself sat down in the chair opposite of it. "I'll sit here."

"OK." She did as instructed, putting Fluffy in her lap as well.

"So," he started, "what's your name?"

"Naomi," she replied. "I know you're the Vigilante, but could you tell me your name?"

"No," he replied. "My identity must remain a secret."

She sighed, disappointed. "I see."

A sea anemone waitress approached them. The Vigilante recognized her from the time he came here with Fable.

"Welcome to Coral Rings! What drinks would you like to start off with today?"

"Tea," the boy with the ponytail simply requested. "Like how you usually make it."

"I'll have the same tea as him," Naomi responded.

"Two orders of our specialty tea..." The waitress wrote down the order on a slip of paper and stored it away in the pocket of her apron. "It'll be here soon!" She sped away, leaving the two alone once more.

"Hey..." the olive-skinned girl started, looking past him. "My boyfriend's back there," she told him. "And you seated me here, not knowing that."

The Vigilante gulped. "Well..."

"Did you know already?"

He looked away and nodded. "Yes. I didn't want him to get mad at me."

She blinked. "Sounds like you know him."

He straightened and crossed his arms with a huff. "Who I know is my business."

"Well, whoever you may be, I guess I should thank you." She continued stroking her pet sea bunny. "I...don't love him anymore, but I don't want to leave him. I'd hate to see him upset."

"And...?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I guess if I cheat on him, then maybe I can finally break up with him."

The Vigilante put a hand on his head to search his memory. _How long have they been dating?_ He knew they weren't together back when he just started high school, but they were together by the time he and Geneva started dating. As the realization settled in, he blinked. _Wow. That's a long time._

"But didn't you just say you'd 'hate to see him upset?'" he questioned. "That would make him furious."

"Trust me, he's nothing compared to his cousin," Naomi dismissed with a smile. "Dude's terrifying when he's angry. I heard he can turn into a kraken, and he used it to destroy his enemies, even after it was banned."

 _That's not true!_ the boy with the ponytail thought, bewildered. _Who would even say that?_

"...Vigilante?" the olive-skinned inkling asked. "Are you OK?"

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah..." He looked off to the side, bothered by the rumors regarding Roy.

It was then the sea anemone waitress returned, holding two cups of tea, alongside some other drinks. She placed the tea cups down in front of them and dashed off to the next occupied table, the one that held Roy, Yuri, Perry, and Wyatt.

Naomi took a sip of her tea and smiled. "Ah... Green tea. My favorite." She took another sip of it. "So, who's paying?" she asked suddenly.

"Why, me, of course," he replied without hesitation. "It's my treat."

The Vigilante picked up the menu and scanned its contents. He wasn't hungry, so he told Naomi that he wasn't ordering anything else. She decided to order ice cream, much to his surprise. When he asked, she simply shrugged. The sea anemone waitress came by a few minutes later and took their order, dashing off to behind the counter to make it.

While they waited, the Vigilante's phone suddenly started to play the intro to Split & Splat by Chirpy Chips. He took it out of his pocket to see that Yuri was calling him. _Yuri?_ He looked him behind to see the dark-skinned inkling with his phone out. He sighed and looked down at the phone.

"I have to take this," he told Naomi. "Wait here." She simply nodded in understanding.

He rose from his seat and walked towards the bathroom, almost bumping into the side of the doorway. He repositioned himself after entering it and looked down at his phone. He had been too late—his phone had stopped ringing.

"Dang it," he swore. He was about to turn around when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The Vigilante turned to see Roy, staring down at him with narrowed red eyes. "What do you want?" he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"What are you doing?" he asked calmly, his voice low.

"What do ya think?"

"That's Wyatt's _girlfriend,_ " he reminded him. _"Wyatt!"_

"So?" He raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't like him."

"I know. I can see it." The boy with his hair swept to the side frowned. "But that doesn't mean it's OK."

"Can't you just let me do what I want?" He stomped a foot on the ceramic floor, echoing through the hall. "I like this. I like the attention; I like getting all the girls I want.

"Inigo-"

_"So stop bothering me about it!"_

Roy flinched, taking a few steps back. Before he could say anything further, the Vigilante pushed him out of his way and walked back to his seat in the café. Naomi had turned into a squid, but once he sat back down, she transformed back, concern lining her features. Gripping the edges of his shorts, he took a deep breath and looked her in the eye.

"Vigilante? Are you OK?" she asked. She took a bite out of her ice cream, which was sitting in a bowl on the table.

"It was a prank," he explained. "It wasn't funny, though."

She nodded as she stuffed more ice cream into her face. The boy with the ponytail tried to talk to her further, but she was busy eating the sweet treat. After she finished, she wiped her mouth clean and stood up, placing Fluffy on the floor. Naomi grabbed his hands and dragged him outside. As they walked, the Vigilante noticed that his friends had finished, too. Right after they exited the café, they stepped in front of the window. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Yuri pushing the doors open.

 _What is she doing?_ He didn't have to ponder on it further when the olive-skinned inkling suddenly brought her lips to his. Though surprised, he closed his eyes and kissed her back. When they finished, he opened his eyes to see Wyatt with his mouth hanging open, his expression filled with complete disbelief.

"What?!" he sputtered out. "I- How- Why- No!"

"Wow," Perry snickered. "Judd's got yer tongue, Wyatt?"

"I think I'd be the same way if the Vigilante stole my girlfriend," Yuri remarked.

"Ya don't have one," the purple-haired inkling noted.

"I know," he acknowledged with a smile.

Wyatt regained his composure and snapped, "Naomi!" She turned around, facing him with yellow-green eyes. "We've been dating for two years, and now you just run off with some stranger?"

The girl picked up Fluffy and began stroking the sea bunny once more. "I know, but the Vigilante saved Fluffy-chan from a thug. Isn't that admirable?"

"I would've done the same thing," he huffed.

"Yeah...but the Vigilante's more fresh."

 _"What?!"_ he exclaimed. "You really just said that?!"

"Back off," the boy with the ponytail demanded, throwing a hand in front of Naomi. "She doesn't like you anymore. Let her go."

Wyatt took a step back, blinking. "What...?"

"Let. Her. Go." The Vigilante lowered his arm and approached his friend's cousin.

Wyatt's sea green eyes narrowed as they made eye contact. He clenched his trembling hand into a fist and then proceeded to punch the fair-skinned inkling in the gut. The Vigilante let out a cry of pain and stumbled backwards, wrapping his arm around his stomach as pain throbbed through it.

"You bottom-feeder," he growled. "Takin' away my dignity."

"You didn't have to punch him!" Roy scolded at his cousin.

"Why do you care?" he jeered. "You're already beneath me."

"Because..." the Vigilante started, but then he trailed off and let out a groan of pain instead. _Because he's my friend._ With a realization of horror, he dropped to his knees, his tinted shades sliding down the bridge of his nose. _I was pushing him away..._ His hand started to tremble. I _yelled at him to go away. And yet he's still defending me._ He collapsed to the floor, unwilling to hold himself up anymore, his ink shifting from a deep red to his usual indigo.

_I'm not a good friend._

As Roy and Wyatt argued about who is better, Yuri and Perry looked at each other nervously. "...Should we call an ambulance?" the yellow-haired boy asked the purple-haired boy.

"Nah." Perry started to stretch his arms over his head. "That won't kill 'em."

"Wyatt," Naomi spoke up, bringing the cousins out of their debate. "Can't we just be friends?" The Vigilante lifted his head to look up at her. She reached out a hand to her now-ex-boyfriend.

The boy with sea green eyes relaxed, his eyelids drooping. "I just want to embrace you...one last time, if that's how you really feel."

The olive-skinned girl grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, much to his surprise. Wyatt smiled and hugged her back, where they remained for a few seconds. They let go, looking at each other again.

"If the Vigilante doesn't work out, I bet you'll just come running back to me," he declared, his moment of vulnerability vanishing into thin air.

"I've already made my choice," she reaffirmed. "It was fun, Wyatt, but not even we can last."

The sea bunny prodded the Vigilante's face, causing his shades to fall off. It stared into his indigo eyes with large, beady ones, as if expecting something. His hand traced along the pet's silky skin, his lips turning upward in a smile. With a grunt, he sat up and put his shades back on, continuing to pet Fluffy.

Naomi turned back to the boy with the ponytail. "Geez, Fluffy-chan, I'm your owner, not him." The sea bunny looked over at her and jumped off of the fair-skinned boy's lap, slithering towards her. She took a few moments to pet her before looking back at the Vigilante. "Hey... Your ink color's different."

"Huh?" He got out his phone and turned on the camera, using it as a mirror to look at himself. "...You're right," he admitted.

She helped him to his feet. "It's really pretty."

At the compliment, a blush bloomed across his face. "I-It is?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "It's refreshing to see you without red ink."

His blush only grew, and then he gave a weak laugh. "I guess not everyone likes red."

"C'mon." She offered her hand to him. "Let's go."

"I can't." He frowned. "Not now."

"Then could I have your number?" He nodded and pulled up his phone number, showing the screen to Naomi. She typed it into her phone, sticking out her tongue. After she finished, she put it away and chirped, "Well, laters."

"Later." She walked away, causing the warmth in his cheeks to fade. He put a hand on his chest, surprised. _This feeling..._ He hadn't felt it in a long time. _I...like...her. I really like her._

He gave one last look at the group of boys. Yuri rose his hand and gave a simple wave. He smiled and turned into a squid, super-jumping back to Inkopolis Square. He nearly tripped when he landed, but luckily, he regained his balance. He dashed into the Deca Tower, towards the changing rooms. Making sure no one was around, he darted inside and took off the hero headset replica, followed by his tinted shades. Staring back him in the mirror was Inigo.

Himself.

He took off the rest of the hero costume, his persona as the Vigilante ceasing to exist for now. Instead of putting his normal clothes back on immediately afterwards, he sat down on the bench, only wearing a black undershirt and his shorts. Inigo looked down at his hands, frowning as his earlier argument with Roy popped back into his mind.

 _I'm the Vigilante. I'm supposed to be a mystery._ He dug his face into his hands and let out a sob. _But I'm still just Inigo underneath. And Roy knows that._

"I'm sorry," he muttered to no one. "I don't deserve to be your friend."

A single tear rolled down his cheek, dripping onto the floor. He cursed to himself, but he continued to cry anyways, in a room where no one could hear him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inigo's finally thinking that he should stop being the Vigilante. But he's not willing to let that go very easily. It's going to take a while before he can. You think with most of the sad chapters being about Inigo, you would think I'd give him a break. Unfortunately, I think the next Inigo chapter where he's for sure happy won't be until the end of the season. As for you, the reader, the very next chapter is considerably more light-hearted. I think it'll be refreshing after all of these heavy-hitters.


	66. The Meeting of a Lifetime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off the Hook holds a raffle - whoever wins gets to spend a few hours with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice: This chapter contains information revealed in Octo Expansion.
> 
> A little bit of Pearl and Marina's dialogue is from the game.

_Perry's PoV_

Perry leaned back in the passenger's seat, watching the skyscrapers pass by as Yuri drove back to Inkopolis Square. His phone rang to denote that there was an Inkopolis News update. Excited, he immediately pulled it out and turned it on to watch his favorite idols live.

"Y'all know what time it is!" Pearl exclaimed. The purple-haired inkling smiled upon seeing the short inkling.

"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!" followed Marina.

"Before we announce the current stages, we got some breaking news for ya!" the first idol announced.

"What?" Wyatt sat up in the back seat. "Another Splatfest already?"

"It's too early," Yuri argued, glancing at him momentarily before returning his attention to the road. "It can't be that."

"Breaking news? What did you break this time?!" the second idol panicked.

"Nothing! We just got a contest to tell you squidkids back at home!" Pearl struck a pose, smirking.

"Oh yeah, that!" Marina recalled. "Well, let's hear it!"

"From until this time next week, y'all can enter a raffle."

"Two winners will get to spend some time with us. I wonder who they'll be. Star-crossed lovers? Best friends? Bitter rivals? Complete strangers?"

"It's a raffle, Rina; it's completely random! Just hope it isn't a squidkid that brings boredom!"

"Like Sheldon?"

"He's not a kid, or a squid, but yeah, you're right." Pearl paused for a few moments, and then continued, "Anywho, you can enter the raffle on Off the Hook's official website!"

"Just enter in your name and address, and bam! You're entered!"

"Find out who the winners are next week!" Pearl struck a pose and proceeded to announce the current stages.

Perry lowered his phone and let out a cheer. "Oh my cod! Do y'know what this means?"

"No," Wyatt deadpanned, placing a hand on his chin and leaning against the car door.

"What it means is that I might get to spend a day with Pearl!" he explained, looking over his shoulder at the cousins.

"You have to win first, though," Yuri interjected.

"That's like, a one-in-a-million chance," Roy elaborated.

"Well, let's hope you win, then!" the dark-skinned inkling encouraged, pumping a fist.

Perry put his phone away, and a few minutes later, they arrived in the parking space near Inkopolis Square. The purple-haired inkling climbed out of the car, only to spot Inigo walked back to his own. It was hard to tell exactly what he was feeling from a distance, but from first glance, he didn't seem too happy.

"Hey, Inigo!" he called, running up towards him. The boy with the ponytail was caught off-guard, stumbling into the door of his own car. "How were the Rainmaker matches?"

"Huh?" He blinked, and then looked off to the side. "Oh, yeah, those. I didn't really get anywhere."

"What? Lost your rank or somethin'?"

"No, not that," Inigo corrected. "...I don't wanna talk about it."

The others joined up with Perry, now looking straight at the indigo-haired inkling. "Inigo! Didn't expect you here!" Yuri exclaimed in surprise.

"He was doing Rainmaker," Roy pointed out. "And the rotation just changed, so of course he'd be leaving."

"Roy," the fair-skinned boy gasped.

"What?" the red-eyed boy questioned.

He paused, still averting the others' gazes. "I'm sorry. For yelling at you."

"What?" Wyatt barked sharply, looking over at his cousin with bewilderment. "Inigo yelled at you? Must be opposite day."

"The Vigilante seemed a lot nicer than he normally is, too," Yuri added. "I think he legit has a crush on Naomi, too."

"Yeah, he was blushin'," Perry agreed. "Right when she left."

Wyatt groaned. "Stop reminding me..."

Inigo went silent for a few moments before announcing, "I'm leaving now." He climbed into his car and started it up, and before they could react, he was driving away, leaving them behind in the smoke.

Once it cleared, Yuri simply blinked. "Wow."

Roy's shoulders relaxed, a frown on his face. "I just wish he'd come to his senses..."

* * *

A week later, at dusk, the Rainbow Squids were eagerly awaiting the results of the raffle. While they waited for Inkopolis News to pop up on the giant screen once more, they merely talked among themselves.

"You've seen the Vigilante lately?" the red-haired inkling commented, showing everyone a picture on Squidsagram moments after he spoke. "He's _still_ dating Naomi."

"I know," Octavia marveled. "That's a new record for him."

"See!" Perry bragged, putting his feet up on the table. "Told ya he got a crush on her."

"What? I thought I said that." Yuri looked over at his friend, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "I don't remember, to be honest. The point still stands, though."

"So, Inigo." The wavy-haired girl's eyes drifted over to the fair-skinned inkling, who had a blush on his face. "Whaddya think about all this?"

He snapped his head up. "What? About the Vigilante?" Via nodded. "It's fresh, I guess."

"I dunno," Bonnie muttered. "He might seem nice now, but he's gonna return to his old ways. He has to."

The conversation came to an end when the jingle of Inkopolis News played, turning everyone's attention to the screen. Pearl and Marina were quick to appear, introducing themselves and announcing the breaking news.

"We're gonna announce the winners of the contest LIVE, yo!" Pearl proclaimed.

Perry's feet returned to the concrete ground, tapping his foot excitedly. Please win, please win!

"Without further ado, let's pull the first name," Marina announced.

A jellyfish carried over an orange envelope to Pearl, where she quickly snatched it out of their hand. "K, first name is..." She opened it and pulled out a slip of paper, quickly reading it with her light yellow eyes. "Perry Sculpin."

The purple-haired inkling practically burst out of his seat, doing a dance. " _BOOYAH!_ " he exclaimed as loud as he could. His mind filled up with words he had trouble expressing out loud at the moment. _Holy seacow, I won! I won, I won! I won!_

"Congrats, Perry!" the dark-skined idol congratulated. "We'll send your ticket through email."

"Now, for the second peep!" the pale-skinned idol declared. A second jellyfish approached Marina, holding the envelope out in front of them.

The funny-looking inkling took it and calmly said, "The second winner is..." She opened the envelope and pulled out the name inside. "Peyton Wunder," she read out loud.

Perry stopped dancing and lowered his arms, which had been held up in the air. " _...Who?_ "

"I think it's Peyton from that battle we did with Tess?" Bonnie guessed.

"Oh, yeah, Octa Prisma never introduced her," Octavia remarked. "She's the newest member of their team."

He looked over at the table where the group of octolings were sitting. A funny-looking girl that resembled him—pale skin and purple hair—was enthusing over something to her teammates. She glanced over at Perry before returning her attention to the rest of the octolings.

"So," he noted, "she's an octoling."

"Yeah," Alexis confirmed, her arms crossed. "They're all octolings in that group."

The purple-haired girl rose from her seat and walked over to Perry. She adjusted the glasses that covered her eyes and gave a small smile.

"Hello," she greeted, clasping her hands out in front of her. "I be going with the you, Giovanni say."

Perry blinked. "Ya mean to the studio where Pearl and Marina do the news?" She nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're Peyton Wunder then."

"I am," she confirmed. "It nice to meet you." She bowed, crossing her legs and lifting the edges of her skirt slightly.

"Oh, don't bow," he teased, holding out a hand. "Shake it."

"Shake it...?" She began doing a dance.

"I mean my hand." Peyton stopped dancing and took the hand, giving a flimsy handshake. "You suck at this, don't ya?"

"Sorry," she apologized. "I come weeks ago."

"It's fine," he assured her. "You just got a bit of learnin' to do."

The girl with the ponytail simply shrugged and walked back to her seat with Octa Prisma. _What a strange girl._ Perry let a sigh escape his lips. He looked back at the Rainbow Squids. They simply looked at each other and shrugged as well.

"You won," Inigo reminded him, "and so did she. No use backing out now."

"Besides, you wanna see Pearl, don't ya?" Octavia teased.

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered. "I can't back out now," he said more confidently. "I gotta see Pearl!"

* * *

That weekend, Perry stood outside of the doors to the studio, wearing all his Pearl memorabilia, most predominantly the Pearlescent set. His early acquisition of the gear set was considered highly unusual, as until then, only Pearl and a select few people owned them. Thanks to his dad, he was able to obtain them for himself, wearing the Pearlescent hoodie as part of his daily attire ever since he got it a few days before Geneva left.

It was only a few minutes until the scheduled meeting. _Where's Peyton?_ Over the past few days, he made an attempt to get to know her better, playing a few turf wars with her. He even introduced her to ranked battles, resulting in the happiest he had ever seen the octoling. Though Giovanni wasn't happy when he found out, he ultimately thanked Perry for helping her overcome her fear.

Peyton arrived wearing her normal gear, sans the Marinated headphones she wore instead of the Annaki beret & glasses.

"Hey!" Perry greeted. "Where'd ya find that?"

"The trash," she replied. "And I wash 'that.'" She crossed her arms, purple eyes narrowing.

The boy with spiky bangs grimaced. "O...K...then."

"Are you ready?" she asked with a softer expression.

He nodded. "Of course! I've been waiting for this!"

"Good."

Perry heard someone grab the door handle, opening to reveal Pearl and Marina. "Yo, we just got done with the broadcast," the former greeted. "Guess you two are the winners?" They nodded and presented their tickets.

Marina took them and examined them. "Sweet!" she cheered. "Follow me."

The group started heading deeper into the studio, until they reached a room that turned out to be a rather decorated recording booth. Unlike the room he had entered with Yuri all those months ago, the walls were colorful, with pink-and-teal stripes that matched the main colors of the idol duo. Beanbags and pillows were scattered around the room, and there was a singular desk with a laptop on top of it. Next to the laptop was a blocky walkie-talkie. They entered the room, and Pearl plopped down onto a beanbag, stretching her limbs.

"Aight! The good ol' recording room!" she introduced. "Just for us, ya see?"

Perry eagerly nodded. "It's superfresh!" A goofy smile spread across his face, giddy. _It's like I'm in Pearl's very own shoes!_

"I mean, we are Inkopolis's favorite idols right now," Marina noted. "Of course we get a fresh room."

Peyton walked over to the desk and picked up the radio. "What this?"

"Oh, it's just some old thing we found on Mount Nantai," the pale-skinned idol replied.

"Don't worry about it," the dark-skinned idol assured her.

"Ah!" Perry plopped down on the beanbag next to Pearl, much to her disdain, and sunk into it. "It's so soft!"

"Well, Pearlie love soft things," Marina commented, clasping her hands together.

"Marina!" Pearl protested.

She lowered her hands. "Sorry, sorry..." she muttered.

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it," the other idol reassured her. "I can't stay mad at you."

The funny-looking inkling simply smiled and tried to pry Perry off of the beanbag. She was successful, but he ended up landing on his face after his forceful removal pushing him forward. He heard snickers from the girls surrounding him.

"...Dang it," he muttered, lifting himself from the ground. _I'm embarrassing myself in front of Pearl, of all squids!_

"We gotta eat lunch now," the inkling with pink-tipped hair noted. "Wonder what they'll serve today."

"Wasabi?" Peyton guessed.

"Yo, that's a condiment," Pearl sighed. "And it's super pungent."

"Hey, Pearl!" Perry pumped a fist. "Was that a rhyme I hear?"

"Yeah, quiver in fear!" she proclaimed. "No one can beat my raps! You'll just fall into traps!"

"Don't underestimate me! I'm as wild as the sea!"

"I'm like a kraken! Don't start slackin'!"

"Alright, alright." Marina stepped in and threw her arms out, stopping both of them. "That's enough. We have to get going."

"Oh, right!" Pearl jumped to her feet and pumped a fist. "Wasn't I on fire, though?" The other people in the room agreed. "Booyah! Another point for me!"

The group exited the recording booth and headed towards the break room, where some jellyfish were putting out several plates of curry for everyone to eat. Perry wasn't thrilled, but he would eat it.

"Ooh, curry!" the pale-skinned idol exclaimed. "Neat!"

They sat down and began to eat, with Pearl finishing the dish rather quickly. They merely talked among themselves. Peyton proceeded to ask questions, from mundane things such as their favorite color or song, to lengthy questions such as how Off the Hook came to be.

"Well, it all started when I went to Mount Nantai one day," Marina started. "And there Pearlie was."

"She was some country bumpkin," Pearl continued. "Thought she was a stalker for a while."

"I came there every day for a week, just to see her again. And while I was singing, she came. So I asked her if she wanted to start a band."

"Well, she showed me a song, so I just had to say yes!"

"And _buh-bam!_ Off the Hook was formed!" the funny-looking inkling finished.

"So yeah, that's the story of how we came to be," the other idol said. "Pretty cool, right?"

Peyton nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Once they finished their lunch, Off the Hook proceeded to give a tour of the studio before arriving at the top of the building, where a decorated helicopter was resting. A neon sign with Off the Hook's logo stood from the top of it, though it was turned off at the moment. Some lights were attached to the bottom of it, and it appeared to be standing on top of some platform.

"And here's the chopper," Pearl introduced. "We don't use it a lot."

"But, it will help us get to Starfish Mainstage quickly," Marina revealed.

"Starfish Mainstage?" Peyton puzzled.

"Why're we going there?" Perry asked.

"For the debut of our newest song, duh!" the cream-haired inkling reminded them.

"We rented out the place to use for a day," the funny-looking inkling explained. "There should be a few seats for you, too."

"Unless ya want to stand in the mosh pit," she offered. The two purple-haired cephalopods looked at each other before shaking their heads. "That's what I thought."

"Should we bring the radio?" Marina asked her partner quickly.

"Nah." Pearl shook her head. "I don't wanna bother Eight and Cap'n right now."

"Yeah, you're right," she replied, bringing her hands up. "Knowing Eight, she probably wants to pay off her debt first. I don't know how strong the signal will be, either."

"Huh, never thought 'bout that." The pale-skinned idol then proceeded to hop onto the helicopter. "Come on in!"

Everyone else followed her lead, sitting down on the seats present in the helicopter. A jellyfish was the pilot, waving their hand at Pearl and Marina. They gave thumbs up, and the vehicle proceeded to start, lifting into the air. As they traveled to Starfish Mainstage, they talked among themselves some more, and about ten minutes later, they arrived at the venue.

The helicopter settled on a landing pad, and everyone hopped off of it. Various people were scattered around the stage, setting up everything for Off the Hook to perform. Two chairs were located behind the cameraman, with paper labels on them. Perry and Peyton sat down in them while they watched Off the Hook arrive on the stage. Pearl struck a pose, while Marina merely waved. They turned to face the camera, the former crossing her arms.

"Y'all know what time it is!" she exclaimed.

"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Starfish Mainstage!" Marina followed up.

"This isn't Inkopolis News, so obviously, there's no news to give ya," Pearl remarked.

"However, we do have a new, never-before seen song to share with everyone," continued the dark-skinned idol.

"Everyone, get ready for..."

" _Nasty Majesty!_ " both of them announced at once.

Perry's eyes widened. _Nasty Majesty? Sounds sick._

A heavy beat began to play, and the duo began to sing.

"Na, na na na na na."

The song was mainly comprised of chanting, with Marina singing at first, followed by rapping from Pearl. It was so different from their previous songs, but Perry loved it anyways. He loved every single moment of it. After they finished, the purple-haired inkling jumped out of his seat, cheering and clapping. Peyton was much calmer, simply clapping her hands while sitting on her chair.

"This song is available now on SquidTunes and Bubblify!" Marina announced.

"And our next album? It's coming out June 14th!" Pearl added.

"That's less than two months away," the dark-skinned idol informed.

"Don't ya miss it!" the pale-skinned idol requested. "Until next time..."

"Don't get cooked... Stay off the hook!" The duo did their signature poses, and the broadcast came to an end. They hopped off the stage and walked over to Perry and Peyton.

"Yo, that was so fresh!" the purple-haired boy exclaimed. "Super, duper fresh!"

"It different," the purple-haired octoling mused. "But I like."

"Well, good," Pearl said.

"We put a lot of effort into it," Marina commented.

"Is this the end?" Perry asked. "Of the visit?"

"Unfortunately," the funny-looking inkling confirmed.

"We gotta get back for the next newscast," the cream-haired inkling elaborated. "So yeah."

"It went by so fast," he muttered, lowering his head. "Feels like it's over in no time at all."

"Hey, why don't we take a picture?" Marina suggested. Perry's head perked up at her voice.

"Yes," Peyton agreed. "Want to remember the today."

"Aight, great idea," Pearl decided. "Y'all better get on the stage!"

The idol immediately dashed off, much to Marina's surprise. She ran after her, with Perry and Peyton trailing behind her. They stopped on the middle of Starfish Mainstage. The cameraman pulled out a portable camera and approached them.

"Alright," he started, "get in your places!"

Perry and Pearl were put up front, while Marina and Peyton stood in the back. Pearl put a hand on her hip and made a peace sign with the other hand, which Perry proceeded to mimic. Marina lifted her hand and smiled, while Peyton simply stood with her hands clasped in front of her. The cameraman took a few pictures and lowered it.

"Wait," the purple-haired inkling interjected before they could disperse. "I wanna take a selfie with y'all."

"Sure," the dark-skinned idol stated. The other people present nodded in agreement. Perry took out his phone and positioned it so all of them could get in the picture. He pressed the button, and a snapping sound was heard from his phone. He lowered it and pumped a fist.

"Woo!" he cheered. "Thanks!"

"No prob," Pearl remarked. "Now, let's get back to Inkopolis Square!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, I'm not a huge fan of how this chapter turned out. There's a lot of dialogue, and I feel like there could have been more descriptions. But, where else would I fit it? It can be difficult sometimes, having to push out a chapter each week. But, I still manage to do so. Personally, I'm a little surprised it lasted this long. As long as we can get through Season 3 with the weekly schedule, I'm happy.
> 
> On a lighter note - Perry's Pearl obsession returns! You didn't think I forgot about that, did you? I also wanted to give Peyton a little spotlight, since she's only been in two other chapters so far, counting the bonus story. Though, she is the newest member of Octa Prisma, to be fair. Hopefully this chapter helped shed a little light on her personality. I wanted to include a speaking role from Agent 8 in this chapter, but I ultimately decided against it, since I thought it would feel a little out-of-place. So, once again, she gets a cameo. Though, it's more like a mention in this case. Will we ever see her speak? Definitely.
> 
> Well, that's all I have to say. See you next Sunday!


	67. Baskfishball Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vigilante comes to watch Roy's baskfishball game.

_Roy's PoV_

Dribbling with the ball, Roy dashed through the other players, running towards the goal. A basking shark dummy was set up at the end of the court, ready for anyone to practice on it. He jumped up into the air and slammed down the ball into the mouth, scoring a goal. The ball rolled around in the dummy's gape before coming to a still. The red-eyed boy picked up the ball and turned towards the rest of the team.

"Wow," Liam complimented, clapping his hands as he walked up to him. "That was fresh."

"Yeah, you could easily take my spot next year," Seb added, wearing his streetstyle cap despite being in practice at the moment.

"I think that spot should be mine," Wyatt gloated. "I'm clearly the better player."

"What? No, I am!" Roy protested. "Stop saying you're better!"

The cousins started to argue again, causing Seb to step in between in. "Hey, stop," he requested, crossing his arms. "We're gonna get nowhere if you keep this up."

The boy with red eyes threw his hands down. "Sorry, man."

The inkling with a side cut walked in front of the basking shark dummy and turned to face all of them. "Now, as I'm sure y'all know, Carter twisted his ankle during a ranked battle yesterday. So we're down a player for the semifinals." A crustacean next to Liam raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Can't we get another inkling to replace him?" he asked. "Until he recovers, that is."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, but we already have people to take his position," Seb rejected.

"Why not get one of those boys from Octa Prisma?" a herring suggested. He looked over at Roy with pleading eyes. "You know them, don't you?"

"Yeah..." he admitted. "I've seen one of them play basketball, but I don't know if he knows anything about baskfishball."

"What about the other squid?" Liam pointed out. "His name's Oscar, isn't it?"

 _Oscar?_ A smile tugged at his lips, but he then dismissed the thought. "He's too lazy," Roy countered. "He won't do anything except eat and do ink battles." It wasn't entirely true, seeing as Oscar was more than willing to work at Starfish Drinks, but otherwise, he was right.

"That's a shame," the boy with spiky hair muttered, hunching forwards.

"What about Griffin Kirkii?" another herring—the older brother of the first herring—suggested.

"He plays basketball," Wyatt remarked. "No way we're getting him."

"Exactly," Seb agreed. "We just can't get anyone else." Everyone sighed, including the senior baskfishball player. "We'll just have to try our best without him."

* * *

The next day, Roy wandered around West Inkopolis High School in-uniform, bored with nothing to do before warm-ups. Banners depicting the school's colors—red and cyan—were hung up on the walls, alongside pictures of various sports teams. The baskfishball team was one of them, being located near the main entrance. He walked up to the poster and smiled. He spotted himself at the end of the back row, where all the taller members of the team were located. Beside all the crustaceans, he seemed tiny. Yet, he still remained taller than his fellow inklings.

Spectators started to pour into the building. The people entering were mostly middle-aged, likely being parents of people on the teams. A few teenagers walked in as well, though he didn't recognize them.

"Roy!"

He cocked his head to the side to see the Vigilante and Naomi running up to him. "Didn't expect to see you out here," the latter noted.

The red-eyed inkling turned his body to face them. "I had free time. But, why are you here?"

"I mean, I usually came to see Wyatt play," she replied.

"But you date me now," the Vigilante said with a smirk. Through his shades, Roy felt his eyes land on him next. "And I wanted to watch this, so we came here."

 _Of course._ Inigo and the rest of the Rainbow Squids usually came to watch his baskfishball games unless they were busy. Since Inigo and the Vigilante were the same person, it was only logical to assume he would come to this game as well. But what Roy didn't understand is why he came to watch as the Vigilante and not as Inigo.

Speaking of the Rainbow Squids, he spotted Octavia, followed by the other members of the group, coming in the entrance. They called his name and ran up to him. The boy with the ponytail tensed and stepped a few inches closer to his girlfriend.

"Hey, it's the Vigilante," Via commented.

"Why's he talking to you?" Alexis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Naomi started it," Roy pointed out. "He just happened to be with her."

"...They're _dating_ ," the short-haired inkling added, annoyed.

"We know," the wavy-haired inkling scolded.

"Well, anyways, too bad Inigo couldn't come," Yuri interjected.

"Again," Octavia sighed. "Ya think he would come to this one, but no."

"Whatever he's doing, don't forget the classic excuse," Perry tried to lighten the mood. "He's showing his Carbon Roller to some girl." Everyone just simply stared at him. "...What? I wouldn't be surprised."

Roy sighed. "I'm going to the locker room." He turned around and started walking down the hall. "See ya," he said, raising a hand slightly as a goodbye, then letting it settle again.

"Good luck!" Bonnie called after him.

"Yeah, good luck!" Yuri followed.

The tan-skinned inkling arrived in the locker room and sat down on the bench. Hunched over, he scrolled through his phone and looked through Squidsagram while he waited for the other members of the team to arrive. Soon, it was almost thirty minutes before the game started, and warm-ups would begin soon.

Liam walked in and presented a wallet to Roy. "Hey, could you give this to Inigo?" he asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you have his wallet?"

"It was on the ground near the gym," he explained. "Guess he dropped it earlier."

Roy took the wallet and opened it up. Indeed, it belonged to Inigo, his driver's license being most prevalent. His eyes widened as he remembered Inigo was present in the building as the Vigilante. _He can't get home,_ he realized. _Not unless Naomi can drive, too._

"...What?" the spiky-haired boy questioned.

"Nothing." He opened his locker and set it inside. "I'll give it to him later."

"Attention!" the baskfishball coach called. "It's time for warm-ups!"

"Let's go," the red-haired boy declared.

The warm-ups were relatively brief, consisting of basic exercises. After they were over, the coach instructed all inklings to change their ink color to a bright red. He then proceeded to hand out small cups of cyan ink to them. Roy forced the acidic drink down his throat and waited. The small dose of ink was meant to change the tips of his tentacles to cyan, but thankfully, it was only temporary, fading after a few hours. A few minutes later, he saw his teammates' hair become frosted with the cyan color. He glanced at the mirror to see that he, too, had been affected.

A few minutes later, the team walked into the gym, followed by the opposing team, East Inkopolis High School. Wearing blue-and-yellow uniforms, they seemed imposing. But West Inkpolis High School was stronger. A blackbelly skate then walked up to the microphone and tapped on it. She cleared her throat and began.

"Welcome to the 2018 Youth Baskfishball Semifinals!" she announced. "My name is Bianca, and I'm reporting to you from West Inkopolis High School. Over on my left is the home team, the West Reefers. On my right is the away team, the East Oceaners. Now, a little fishy told me we have a special squid attending the game today."

The cameraman turned the camera towards the bleachers. "The Vigilante, a social media sensation!" Roy's eyes widened upon hearing the announcer's words. He saw the boy with the ponytail rise in the stands. "Come on down, won't you?" The Vigilante seemed equally surprised himself, but he walked down to the floor. The camera followed him until he reached the announcer. "Tell a few words, won't ya?" she requested, holding out the microphone.

The fair-skinned inkling took it and gulped. "Hey, it's me, the Vigilante."

Roy glanced over at him. _I wish I had his calmness with these kinds of things._

"Yeah, I'm attending this game. My girlfriend wanted to watch, so I came with her." He smirked. "Aren't I such a gentleman?" The crowd cheered in response. "Well, good luck to the West Reefers!" He dropped the microphone and walked back to the bleachers.

The announcer picked it back up. "Where, there you have it! The Vigilante supports the West Reefers! Will this discourage the East Oceaners? Well, find out today! Everyone, get to your places!"

Roy was part of the starting lineup for today, and here, he would go on the offense. It was what he usually did. He didn't know the people on the other team too well, but the center was another inkling. _Fair,_ he noted. He walked up to the center of the arena and met the other inkling, eye-to-eye. His eyes narrowed, and he smirked.

The referee dropped the ball, and it started flying as both inklings hit it. It flew towards his team's side of the court, much to his alarm. The younger herring reached up and caught the ball, protecting it from landing in the basking shark's mouth. He thrusted it towards Seb, who started dribbling it towards the other side of the court. The other team started to chase after him.

"All up to you now!" Seb stopped and tossed Roy the ball, who began to dribble it towards the basking shark. They blinked, mouth widening as the food ball neared. He stopped and launched it towards the goal, only for some people on the other team to knock it aside. An urchin grabbed it and threw to an inkling with a buzz-cut, who then threw it to the center. He slammed it down and started dribbling towards the other side of the goal. He stopped right in front of the basking shark on Roy's team, holding the ball. The defensive players of the team tried to block him, but he simply jumped up, the ball going past the hands, into the basking shark's mouth.

East Inkopolis High School's baskfishball team had scored a goal.

Time passed. The team upped their defense after the ease of which the rival team had scored a goal. Yet, the others were just as strong in their defense, deflecting nearly every shot. Even into the next few quarters, not much progress was made between the two teams. Just before the second quarter ended, while Roy was benched, he watched as the new center tossed a ball into his team's basking shark's mouth. More points had been earned.

The third quarter came, and the home team finally scored a goal, quickly followed by another goal. Wyatt was dancing between the other players, making his way to the rival team's basking shark and tossing the ball in with style. Eventually, the teams had even scores, making the winner uncertain once more.

Come the fourth quarter, Roy was back on the field. He did some stretches before returning to the basketball court, where a new center was waiting for him. Like the one he had faced earlier, he was an inkling, though his hair was slicked back. The referee dropped the ball, and this time, it flew towards the other team's side of the court. He ran after it, hoping to catch the ball. Unfortunately, someone on the defense caught it and threw it to the center.

The center dribbled towards the goal, where the two herring brothers were waiting. He tried launching it, but the brothers simply jumped in the way, deflecting the ball. It bounced off, towards the middle of the baskfishball court. The crustacean on Roy's team ran up to it and began dribbling, using his height to his advantage. A running sea anemone bumped into him, causing both of them to trip and fall to the ground, the ball bouncing off, closer to the defense of the other team. Another inkling picked it up, and before he could throw it, a whistle blew.

Both the sea anemone and the crustacean were pulled off the field, being replaced by a goby and Seb, respectively. Off by the bench, the red-eyed inkling noticed the crustacean picking at his claws. His shell had been chipped. Roy didn't have much time to ponder on it, however, as he was called to the middle of the court. The ball was dropped, and this time, it flew towards his team's side of the court.

 _Dangit!_ he thought in alarm. The center rushed past him, running to the ball. Seb had caught it. As he threw it, the center leaped up and knocked it down, allowing him to dribble to the goal. Leaping up as high as he could, he slammed the ball down into the basking shark's mouth, scoring another goal for the East Oceaners.

 _Dangit, dangit, dangit!_ Roy swore silently. Before he knew it, the game was over, with not another point scored for either team.

"The winner is... The East Oceaners!" the blackbelly skate announced.

"Fudge!" he shouted, throwing the ball he held to the floor.

The center from the fourth quarter walked up to him, holding out a fist. "Good game?"

Grudgingly, he accepted the fist-bump. "Good game," he grumbled.

He walked back to the locker room, where he changed out of the basketball uniform, into his normal clothes. He wiped some sweat off his forehead with a towel and tossed it aside. Before he closed his locker, he noticed the wallet sitting in it. Inigo's wallet. He remembered what Liam had told him before the game and grabbed it.

Inigo's wallet resting in his hand, Roy walked out to the parking lot, his eyes scanning for his disguised friend. A light breeze blew through the area, and the cyan ink had left his body almost completely by now. The only trace of its presence was the very ends of his tentacles, which had a smidge of cyan on it. Regardless, he had to find the Vigilante before he left.

It didn't take long. The boy with the ponytail and Naomi were right outside their car. The Vigilante was frantically searching his pockets, murmuring something Roy couldn't hear.

"Hey, Vigilante!" the tan-skinned boy called. He ran up to them.

The Vigilante relaxed and looked up at him. "What?"

"You dropped your wallet." He held it out.

The fair-skinned inkling simply stared at it before huffing and crossing his arms. "You don't know that it's mine."

"Stop playing dumb. I know it's yours," he warned, his voice hardening.

"To be fair, it would be weird if you knew," Naomi interjected.

He lowered his arms. "How do you know it's me? Tell me something only I would know."

"I have your baby pictures," Roy quickly replied.

The Vigilante blushed, seemingly in embarrassment, and shook his head. "They could be anyone's. Besides, I didn't have red ink when I was born."

"You're right," he confirmed. "Your ink was indigo."

"Lots of squids have indigo ink," the other boy pointed out. "Point is, those baby pictures could be of _anyone._ "

"Then..." An idea popped into Roy's head, but it was risky. It was a secret, one that Inigo swore to keep. And it was a story they swore never to retell. He didn't want to mention it, but he had to. Or else Inigo would not get his wallet back until tomorrow. "...The Rose Story."

Silence hung in the air. The Vigilante's mouth fell open slightly, shocked.

"...What's the 'Rose Story?'" Naomi asked, breaking it.

No one answered her question. "Give me that." The fair-skinned inkling snatched the wallet out of Roy's hand and opened it. He nodded and stuffed it back into his pocket. "Let's go," he demanded, opening the door to his car.

"Wait." The olive-skinned girl stopped him. "Is that seriously your wallet?"

"Yeah," he replied.

She looked between the Vigilante and Roy. "...Roy knows who the Vigilante? Roy Blacktip?"

"Yeah, and why is that a problem?" the tan-skinned boy challenged.

"Well, you're Roy Blacktip. Super mean and all, destroying everything." He winced at her words. _That can't be what everyone thinks of me. It can't._ "It's just so weird a squid as nice as the Vigilante shared his identity with him."

"It wasn't by choice," the Vigilante growled. "Naomi, we need to go."

"Alright, alright," she assured her. "I know how grumpy you get about 'wasted time.'"

Frowning, the boy with the ponytail climbed into the car, followed by the long-haired girl. He lowered his tinted shades briefly, revealing sad, indigo eyes. He mouthed 'sorry' and started the car, pushing his shades back up. Roy stepped out of the way, and they pulled out of the parking spot, driving away.

Red hair blowing in the wind, he sighed and leaned against the car next to the one the other two inklings had driven away in. He looked out in the direction they had disappeared, eyes heavy.

_I hope he's OK._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is the Rose Story? We'll save that for a later season. Here's a relatively lax chapter again for today. Hope you don't mind. Sometimes we need the chill chapters to balance out the more action-packed ones. See you next week!


	68. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the latest Splatfest announcement, Octavia gets nostalgic for the first time she and Bonnie hung out with the male Rainbow Squids.

_Octavia's PoV_

When the next Splatfest theme was announced, the Rainbow Squids simply gaped at the giant screen plastered on the front of the Deca Tower. A tournament Splatfest was one thing in itself, but a Splatfest based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Indeed, it was baffling. But a Splatfest was a Splatfest.

"I thought they were all the same breed of turtle," Inigo commented.

"Yeah, so did I," Octavia agreed. "What's with this 'red-eared slider' and 'snapping turtle?'"

"They look _nothing_ like I remember," Bonnie added. "Besides, my favorite's not even here..."

"Who's your favorite?" Alexis asked.

"Donnie," she replied. "He's smart and nerdy. Plus it rhymes with Bonnie."

"Donnie's my favorite too!" Yuri exclaimed. The two inklings did a fist-bump afterwards.

"My favorite's Raphael," Roy spoke up. "He's red."

"Mine's also Raph," Alexis agreed. "There's something about him that I can relate to."

"Gotta go with Mikey here," Perry said, tossing an empty can of soda aside. "He's the funny guy."

"Yeah, he always makes me laugh," Octavia proclaimed.

The group looked towards Inigo, who sighed. "...And I'm the only Leo fan here."

"Geneva's fave is also Leo," the wavy-haired inkling noted. "Don't feel bad about it."

"I know, but she's not here," he corrected. He sighed and put his elbows on the metal table. "Would be nice if she was."

Yuri looked between the group, and a smile came across his face. "Hey, remember when we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Perry's house?"

"Yeah," said Bon-Bon. "It was the first time I had ever been over at a guy friend's house."

"Same here," Via remarked. "I don't think I can forget that."

Everyone at the table laugh, except Alexis, who merely looked around in confusion. The memory was an odd one, but it was one of the first things that established the Rainbow Squids' friendship.

_Octavia and Bonnie stood at the door to the mansion, nervous. A white wall towered over them, with gold door handles. The former reached up her stubby orange hand and knocked on the door. No answer had come yet, but she heard footsteps race closer and closer._

_"Oh! They're here, Dad! They're here!" Perry's voice exclaimed._

_A pale-skinned inkling with purple hair opened the door, a younger inkling that came up to his shoulder standing next to him. He raised an eyebrow, skeptical._

_"You two are Octavia and Bonnie, right?" the older inkling asked. "Perry told me all about you."_

_"Yeah!" Via chirped. "Who else would we be?"_

_"It's them!" Perry insisted. "I know it!"_

_Perry's father smiled. "Alright, you two can come in."_

_"Yay!" the orange inkling cheered. "Thanks!"_

_The girls dashed in, entering the large room. The walls were covered in red patterning, making it seem like it was old-fashioned, yet modern. Grand white steps were laid out directly in front of them, the second floor winding around the perimeter of the room. To the left of the stairs was a small kitchen, with a circular dining table towards the window. To the right was a similar set-up, with a few glass bottles resting on the far counter._

_Perry gestured for them to follow him, running up the stairs with his stubby legs. The girls glanced at each other briefly and giggled, climbing the stairs with him. As they walked, Octavia examined the pictures on the wall. The majority of them contained pictures of Mr. Sculpin, but some featured Perry as well. There were some paintings as well. One was signed with 'Perry,' being a simple white canvas with purple splatters on it. A portrait of the purple inkling and his father was located in the center of it, drawn with crayons._

_Soon, they arrived at a room with various stickers on the door. The boy opened the door and exclaimed, "Guys, they're here!"_

_Three inklings their age looked over at the newcomers. The first inkling was red, wearing a white t-shirt and a yellow bandana around his neck. The second inkling was yellow and wore a black t-shirt. He was fiddling with a music player on the table. The third inkling was indigo and wore a long-sleeved grey shirt, lying flat on the floor. The red and indigo inklings got up and walked over to the girls._

_"Hey, you came!" Inigo chirped._

_"Does that mean we'll get cooties?" Roy whispered._

_"Nah, my dad says cooties aren't real," Perry affirmed him._

_"That's right!" Via declared, straightening. "We don't have cooties!" Bonnie inched closer to her and nodded in agreement._

_Yuri put down the music player and waddled over to him. "Oh! Oh! Can we watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now?" he asked, bouncing in place._

_"Yeah," replied Inigo. He walked over to the TV and picked up a DVD case, a picture of cartoon turtles on the front of it. "It's this, right?"_

_Perry nodded. "I got for Squidmas last year. You can't believe how many times I've watched it with Yuri!"_

_"I know all the characters by heart," the yellow inkling butted in. "There's Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo!" He picked up a turtle shell costume and put it on, then picking up a purple mask and tying it around his head. "See! Now I'm Donnie! Geez, it's weird with this on."_

_"What about the side characters?" Via teased. "Think you can name them?"_

_"Uh..." Yuri rubbed the side of his head. "There's Splinter, uh...Shredder, I think, and, uh..."_

_"See, you don't know all the characters," Roy sneered, crossing his arms. "Better get watching, then."_

_"Hmph! I can name them! Just give me time!"_

_"The time for talking's over," Inigo declared. He opened the case and put the disc inside the DVD player. "Now, it's time to watch..."_

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!"

_Perry turned the TV on, and everyone proceeded to sit down, eyes glued to the screen. The menu came up, and everyone cheered as music played in the background. The purple inkling picked the remote up and pressed the play button, watching what came next with intensity. When the theme song began to play, they began to sing along to it._

_The first episode began to play, and Bonnie muttered, "I've never watched this show."_

_Via blinked. "Seriously? Well, good thing I brought you here, then!" She stood up and placed a stubby hand on her chest. "As your friend, it's my promise to have you watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!"_

_"Well, I'm watching it now." She clasped her hands. "Are you happy?"_

_The orange inkling sat back down next to her. "Do you like it?"_

_"I think."_

_She smiled. "Good."_

_The episode continued to play, the group still watching the TV with intensity. Not a single word was said among the young inklings, as they were too focused on the cartoon. Via grabbed a Michelangelo action figure lying on the ground and started to mess with it. She looked down at it to find it covered in cheese dust. Disgusted, she threw it aside. Perry noticed and reached over to grab it._

_"What if we make turtlesonas?" Inigo suddenly interrupted._

_"Shh, I'm trying to watch this," Roy hushed him. "Rapheal's my favorite character."_

_"What's a... 'turtlesona?'" Bonnie spoke up, tilting her head._

_"Oh no..." the red inkling sighed._

_"My sister told me," he started with a smile. "It's you...but as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle."_

_"Ooh, I know what mine would be!" Yuri piped up. "Yuriado, the yellow turtle! He's superfresh and has an Inkzooka!"_

_"Oh, that's a lame name," Via ridiculed. "Mine's gonna be so much better." She smirked. "My turtlesona would be...Viada, the first ever girl ninja turtle. She's Mikey's twin sister and has a brush!"_

_"I don't think you two get it." Inigo shook his head. "We need weapons that don't use ink."_

_"_ Don't _use ink?" Perry mused. "Uh..."_

_"A sword?" Bonnie suggested._

_"Leo has a sword, Bonnie!" Roy scolded. "We can't use that!"_

_She shrunk back and threw a purple blanket over her head. "Why not...?" she whined._

_"Because that's boring!" He slammed his hand down on the floor. "We gotta be creative!" The other inklings simply blinked at him, and he shook his head. "That's all you got?" They looked at each other before returning their attention to Roy. "Well, I'll make a good turtlesona. Just wait 'til tomorrow."_

_"Yeah, make sure it's the very best," Inigo encouraged._

_"Be quiet, I wanna watch more of this!" Yuri complained. Everyone closed their mouths and focused on the TV again. The episode ended, causing everyone to frown. However, a few seconds later, another scene popped up on the screen. Via leaned closer to the TV, intrigued. The theme song began to play again, causing her to let out a squeal of joy._

_About halfway into the next episode, someone knocked on the door. "Perry," the voice spoke. The door opened to reveal his father. He was holding a white box of some sort in his pale hands. "I bought bonbons!" He tilted the box to reveal chocolate balls inside._

_"Bonbons?" Bonnie gasped. "I thought those were super expensive!"_

_"Anything's possible when you're rich." Mr. Sculpin pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled. He opened the box, and all six inklings started running towards._

_"Say..." Perry picked up a bonbon and popped it into his mouth. "You ever had a bonbon, Bon-Bon?"_

_The blue inkling looked over at the purple inkling. "...Bon-Bon?"_

_"Yeah, it's my nickname for you." Some chocolate now covered his face. "You make me think of bonbons—sweet. And it goes with your name, too."_

_"Umm..." She took a bonbon from the box and took a bite out of it. "T-thanks..."_

_"No prob." He took another candy and ate it._

_Roy took a handful of bonbons and started walking back over to his seat. "Hey! You just can't take all of them!" Octavia scolded._

_"Why not?" he whined. "Perry's dad can just get more!"_

_"Because we need to share!" She ran over and tried to take a bonbon out of his hands. "You're just a seacow if you do that!"_

_"Watch it!" he snapped, raising his arms._

_Via tackled him to the ground, but he still tried to keep a hold on them. The bonbons smushed, covering both of their shirts in chocolate. A few of them rolled onto the floor. Perry dropped to the floor, trying to grab any that fled Roy's hands._

_"Ewww!" The orange inkling stood up and looked down at herself. "This shirt is ruined! I bought it last week!"_

_"It's your fault," Inigo scolded. "You wanted Roy's bonbons!"_

_"Well, it wouldn't had happened if Roy just shared!"_

_"Only you had a problem with it!" the red inkling snapped._

_Roy, Octavia, and Inigo continued to argue until Perry's dad stepped in-between them._ "Enough." _Everyone's voices trailed off and looked up at him. "If you squids are going to act like this, I'm not allowing you to enter my house ever again."_

_"Sorry, Mr. Sculpin..." all three of them apologized._

_He smirked. "Don't let it happen again." He closed the bonbon box and left the room, leaving the group of inklings alone again. Everyone plopped back in front of the TV, only to find that they left it unpaused._

_Perry groaned and dug his head into the rug. "...Dang it."_

_Via frowned. "Sorry we got in trouble with your dad."_

_"It's fine," he dismissed. "He'll just forget about it in a week."_

_"Well, the thing with Perry's dad is done and done," Yuri piped up. "Let's keep watching!"_

_"Yeah!"_

_The episodes continued playing into the night, where everyone was close to falling asleep. Bonnie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She glanced over at Octavia._

_"I wanna go home," she muttered._

_The credits started playing, where Inigo picked up the remote and stopped the film. "Me too." The TV screen glowed blue as the DVD ejected itself from the player. Everyone got up and started walking down to the first floor. They then walked outside, the moon shining down on them. Stars twinkled in the sky, reflecting in Octavia's orange eyes._

_"Thanks for coming," Perry said. "I had a lot of fun today!"_

_"Me too!" Yuri agreed._

_"Let's come watch more another time," Inigo suggested._

_"Yeah," Bonnie accepted. "I'd like that." Everyone looked at each other and smiled._

_"Well." Octavia grabbed the blue inkling's hand and started walking down the cobblestone path. "See ya tomorrow!"_

_"Bye!" the boys called, waving._

_The girls walked to the street, where a car was waiting. The window rolled down to reveal Bonnie's mom. They climbed inside and immediately fell asleep, tired from the exciting day at Perry's house._

"Oh!" Alexis exclaimed, slamming her hands down on the table and bringing Via out of her thoughts. "The sale at the Galleria! That's going on now!"

"Oh!" The wavy-haired girl adjusted her hat. "You're right!"

"Let's get to it," Inigo declared, standing up from his chair. "We can't miss the latest deals."

"And I can finally get new shoes," the short-haired inkling beamed. "C'mon, let's go!"

Everyone got up from their seats and ran into Shella Fresh, seemingly forgetting about the next Splatfest and focusing on fashion once more. But, of course, no one forgot about it. It was merely in the back of their minds, resting in their memory until it became relevant again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this flashback chapter. A flashback to when they were kids, before Geneva came around. Pretty cool, right? I'm planning for another flashback chapter later on in the season. Now, obviously, the TMNT Splatfests were addressed in this chapter. So, what am I doing about it? Well, I'll only be covering the final of the Splatfests in Bonnie's chapter. It's mainly for my sake, as I don't really want to write back-to-back Splatfest chapters. The Chaos vs. Order Splatfest will be an exception, since it's meant to be the finale of "The Rainbow Squids". But, that's quite a ways off. Years from now, if I'm being honest. Let's not worry about that until we get there.


	69. Back to Basics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri visits the baseball field in East Inkopolis, only to find some people playing there.

_Yuri's PoV_

Yuri walked through the city streets, passing Starfish Drinks and entering the eastern side of Inkopolis. Everything seemed so familiar to him, but at the same time, they were foreign. He hadn't been here much ever since his dad died, but it still held some sentimental value to him. It was the place where he spent his early years. He couldn't just forget everything about this place.

Eventually, he reached the gates of East Inkopolis High School. Grey clouds hung over him, and whatever sunlight peeking through cast a strange shadow on the school. Being a Sunday, it was closed. No one could go inside. It was kind of sad, seeing it as unpopulated as it currently was.

However, there were other ways he could visit the school.

Towards the back was a baseball field that the entire school district shared. He remembered playing there when he was a kid, though it has been so long that his memories have become hazy. Though he could sneak in elsewhere, the field was the most nostalgic for him.

He walked there, and to his surprise, he saw someone else there. Among the green grass and brown earth was a small group of inklings, playing baseball. An inkling boy with almond skin launched a ball at a boy with dark skin. He swung his bat, sending the ball flying. He started running around the field, stopping at second base. Another boy, this one with honey-colored skin, leaped up and caught the ball. He threw it back at the first boy, and the game continued.

Yuri climbed up the fence and sat at the top of it, watching it with curiosity. They didn't even notice his presence, continuing to play baseball like normal. Frowning, the yellow-haired inkling took out his phone and opened Bubblify, where he selected a song. Music started to play through his headphones, and he hummed to himself. Eventually, the teams switched, with the almond-skinned boy now batting. He tapped the wooden bat on the ground and brought it up to his shoulder. The dark-skinned stranger spit in his hand and tossed the ball. He swung the bat, and once again, a ball flew through the air. He dropped the bat and ran around the field, getting a home run.

Yuri let out a cheer in response and pumped a fist. No one heard it, though, taking it as an exclamation from the bench. Disheartened, he lowered his fist and looked down at his shoes. He currently wore yellow-mesh sneakers, as per Octavia's suggestion. He liked them, so he didn't mind wearing a different pair of shoes today. His yellow eyes returned to the baseball field. The honey-skinned boy was now batting. He bent his knees, and when the ball flew towards him, he swung the bat. However, it hit a bad spot on the bat, and now it was flying...directly towards Yuri.

"Shoot!" He turned into a squid to avoid the projectile, though he ended up falling flat on his face as a result of losing his balance. The dew on the grass lapping his face, he transformed back into a kid and looked up. The three inklings he had primarily took notice to were now surrounding him.

"Who're you?" the first boy asked, blowing up a bubble of pink gum, which then popped. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, though it was longer than most other boys'.

"Dunno," the second boy noted. Turning into a pink squid, he slipped through the fence, transforming back into a kid outside it to grab the ball. He tossed it back in the field, where the honey-skinned inkling caught it. "Never seen him 'round here." His lips turned upwards in a sharp grin. "And I know everyone 'round here."

Yuri gulped. _What did I get into?_ "W-Well, I'm from the other side of the city."

"Ah, a west city boy," the third boy deduced. "Knew you had to be in Inkopolis with that fresh get-up, just didn't know where exactly."

"Well, since ya seem so reluctant to give us your name..." The dark-skinned stranger tapped a finger on his chin, pondering on something. "...I'll just call ya Studio."

Yuri blinked. "Why Studio?"

"Well, you're wearing studio headphones, aren't ya?" the almond-skinned inkling pointed out. "Us lot go by our gear." He pointed to himself. "I'm Zip. After the green zip hoodie." He then pointed to the jacket tied around his waist.

"I'm Tackle," introduced the honey-skinned inkling, adjusting the Octo Tackle Helmet Deco he wore. His hair was obscured as a result.

"And you can call me Patch," the dark-skinned inkling announced, pointing to the patched hat on his head. The bangs from a bowl cut brushed his forehead. "Don't worry, I won't fall apart on ya."

"Hope ya like puns," Zip grumbled. "Patch loves 'em."

"Puns?" Yuri's yellow eyes widened. "Hey, I love 'em too!"

"Ya want a pun battle, Studio?" Patch challenged. "Bring it!"

"Here we go..." the almond-skinned boy muttered.

"Get ready, 'cause you'll never know what _hit_ ya," he teased. He tossed the ball up into the air and caught.

"Oh, we're doing baseball puns? Then..." The spiky-haired boy paused, thinking about what to say next. "Well, this is a _ball_ , am I right?"

" _Field_ yourself tremble and _fall!_ "

"I'm not making a _run_ for it!"

 _"That's enough."_ Tackle stepped between them, and cast Yuri a warning glance with blue eyes. "We gotta get back to the game."

"OK, but first, Tackle..." Patch's lips turned up in a mischievous grin. "Who won?"

"You, duh," he stated. "Isn't it obvious?"

"You're just saying that because I'm new," Yuri argued.

"Dunno 'bout that," Zip commented, popping the bubble gum once more. "Tackle's right, let's go."

The four walked back to the field, those present before returning to their positions. Yuri merely stood behind Tackle, who was now batting. Patch tossed the baseball at him, and he swung the bat, hitting it and making it fly towards the bleachers. He dropped the bat and made a run for it, leaving dust in his wake. Yuri coughed and swung his hand to dispel the cloud.

Patch looked over at the spiky-haired inkling with red eyes, slouching. "You're just gonna stand there, Studio?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" he countered.

"Be the catcher." He ran off the field, towards the bench. He returned with a helmet, a cushioned chest plate, and a baseball glove. "Here. You'll have to take off your headphones, though."

"No problem." He took off his headphones and put on the gear. He slung the studio headphones around his neck and crouched down behind another member of the blue team, who wore a birded corduroy jacket. The boy with the patched hat threw another ball, and the batter missed, with Yuri catching it.

"Nice, Studio," Zip complimented from the sidelines. "You play baseball on the other side?"

He shook his head. "Not anymore. I stopped playing when I moved there."

He raised an eyebrow. "Where're you from?"

"Here, in East Inkopolis," Yuri informed the almond-skinned boy.

Surprised flashed in his green eyes. "Really?"

"What?" Tackle looked over at the yellow-haired inkling. "Studio used to live here?"

Patch ran over to the group. "Can't believe my ears."

The honey-skinned boy scoffed. "We're getting distracted from the game again."

"Eh, it's almost time to switch, anyways," he deflected. "If Corduroy gets two more strikes, that is."

"Anyways, continue," Zip requested Yuri, putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, yeah." He stood up and shrugged. Upon remembering the circumstances that brought him to West Inkopolis, he frowned and looked down at his feet. "...My dad died when I was 9. Without the extra money, we had to move."

"Oh..." The almond-skinned inkling's face fell. "I'm so sorry."

He smiled. "I'm over it. Mostly."

"It's a shame you couldn't stay," Patch stated, dipping his hat.

"Doesn't that situation remind you of Yuri?" Tackle asked his dark-skinned friend. "Gahhm?"

Yuri looked up at them at the mention of his name. "...Yeah," the red-eyed inkling admitted, rubbing his shoulder. "Dude left. I was so upset."

"What happened?" He suspected he knew the answer, but he wanted to see what they had to say.

"You see, Yuri Gahhm used to be on the baseball team with me and Tackle," Patch started. "But one day...he had to move. And we never saw him since."

"Yuri Gahhm?" Zip spoke up. "He went to my old school in West Inkopolis. He's friends with some rich squid named Perry and formed a team with him."

The yellow-haired boy blinked. "You went to West Inkopolis?"

"Yeah. Moved here after middle school, though," he confirmed. "Never really talked to Yuri, though."

"He probably still goes there, then," Tackle deduced. "Wonder how he's doin'."

"Well..." Yuri trailed off, looking to the side. As he took a closer look at Patch and Tackle, he realized he knew _both_ of them.

_"Yuriii!"_

_On the playground, a pink inkling ran up to the yellow inkling, tears flowing from his red eyes. "Please don't go!"_

_"We'll miss you!" added a deep blue inkling with matching eyes, who now joined the pink inkling. His hands were clasped, shaking them as if he were begging for money._

_"Guys..." Yuri turned to face the two. "I can't stay. My mom won't let me."_

_"Why can't your dad respawn?" the first inkling whined, stomping into the mulch. "Then you could stay!"_

_"Face it, Isaiah," the second inkling muttered, lowering his head and wiping a tear from his eye. "He's not respawning."_

_"Noooo!" Isaiah cried. "There's nothing you can do?"_

_Yuri shook his head, now getting tears in eyes himself. "No..." he croaked. "Isaiah, Eli..."_

_"We should follow you!" Eli suggested._

_"Yeah! And then we don't have to leave!" Isaiah agreed._

_"What?! Don't do that for me!" the yellow inkling exclaimed, surprised._

_"But we would," the pink inkling countered. "'Cause we're friends to the end. We made a tentacle promise, don't you remember?"_

_"I do, but I have to break it because of mom!" Yuri ran up to Isaiah and hugged him. "I'm sorry!" he blubbered. "I'm sorry!"_

Yuri gave a nervous laugh. "It's kind of a funny story."

Tackle raised an eyebrow. "Whaddabout it?"

"You see... Uh..." He gulped, some of his stage fright setting in. _I'm front of all these people..._ " _I'm_ Yuri Gahhm."

"What?!" Patch gasped. He tackled Yuri with a hug, knocking them both to the ground. "Yuri!"

"Isaiah!" he exclaimed, eyes widening. "Is that really you?!"

The red-eyed inkling nodded and got off of him. "Don't ya _dare_ leave 'gain." He rubbed his eyes, something wet now shining on his fingers.

"Guess it was a matter of time 'fore you showed up 'gain," Tackle added. "Though it's been like, what, eight years?"

"I just wanted a nostalgia trip," Yuri said. "That's all."

"You should take them more often," the honey-skinned inkling suggested. "Keep being the catcher."

"Or even better..." Patch picked up his hat—it had fallen off when he tackled Yuri—and put it on again. "...We should battle in turf wars together. Ya do that, right?"

The spiky-haired boy nodded. "Yeah, of course! Who doesn't?"

"Absolutely no one," Zip declared, punching a fist into his hand. "Even if I go blind, that won't stop me."

"And if you don't, then you're just a loser," the boy with the bowl cut jested. "Not fresh at all."

"Then it's settled." Yuri raised a hand and posed. "We're forming a team! And it's going to be splat-tastic!"

Patch pulled out a Splash-o-Matic Neo and copied Yuri's pose. "Splat-tastic indeed."

Tackle pulled out a Foil Squeezer and joined in. "Guess we're doing this now."

Zip shrugged. "I don't think I can do this pose well with my Dynamo Roller."

"C'mon! At least try, Zip!" Yuri encouraged.

He smiled and pulled out a standard Dynamo Roller, trying his best to mimic the other boys. "There, I'm doing it."

"That's the spirit!" The spiky-haired boy pumped a fist. "Now, we got to do a group thing. You know, where you put your hand in the middle and say something when you raise it?"

"Ah, I get what ya mean," Patch realized. Everyone huddled together and extended their hands, placing them on top of each other. "On the count of three, we say 'booyah,'" he instructed. "One, two, three..."

"Booyah!" Everyone lifted their hand and cheered. Everyone put away their weapons and started heading back to where they were before the interruption. Yuri crouched down as the catcher again, but instead of going back to the mound in the center of the baseball field, Patch simply hovered over him.

"Glad to see you again, Yuri," he said, beaming. "Man, never thought I'd ever be sayin' that."

"Me too, Isaiah," he agreed. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you all are liking the Splatfest. Man, it's amazing. I think it's my favorite Splatfest that I've participated in. Back to the story - how do you like Yuri's new friends? Though, I guess it's technically his old friends, since he knew Patch/Isaiah and Tackle/Eli before moving. But he didn't know Zip at all, so I guess he's a new friend in that department. This one was pretty short, but I already know the next chapter is going to be a long one. It's at 1,600 words already, and I still haven't gotten to the action part of it. Well, get ready to see what Alexis is going to do next week. I think you guys will like it.


	70. Finders Keepers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagued by nightmares, Alexis seeks help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION: This chapter contains content from Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion.  
> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: trauma.

_Alexis's PoV_

Surrounding Alexis were several dozen copies of the Octobot King II, all being piloted by several dozen copies of DJ Octavio, who were all glaring down at her. The stadium was shrouded in darkness, the machines only being outlines against bold magenta lights. The brainwashed Callie stood directly in front of her, singing Bomb Rush Blush as if nothing was happening. A spotlight shone down on the two of them.

"Stop it!" she screamed at the black-haired idol. "Stop it! I don't want to listen to your annoying voice!"

Callie continued singing, yet the Octobot King II clones were advancing. They prepared their golden fists, spinning with a light the same color as the Octarians' ink.

"I said stop it!" Alexis fell to her knees, covering her ears. "Make it stop! Please!"

The idol stopped singing, lowering her arms. "You can't do anything," she jeered. "You're worthless to us!" She opened her mouth, yet nothing came out. "Worthless, worthless Agent 4! Worthless, worthless Alexis!" she sang.

"Stop..." she begged. "Just...stop..."

"Worthless, worthless, _worthless!_ "

A thousand fists were sent flying towards her, and she splatted with a sickening crush. Instead of respawning, however, she was back in her room, sitting up also immediately while taking rapid breaths. She looked around, then at herself. The morning sun shined in through the window, casting a gentle golden light on her bronze skin.

 _I fell asleep,_ she thought. She had been staying up in an effort to avoid nightmares such as the one she just had, but ultimately, they failed, over and over again. She cursed and jumped off her bed. When she opened the door, she saw her sister walking by. The wavy-haired girl paused, and she turned to look at the younger inkling.

"Alexis?" she asked. "You OK?"

She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm fine," she insisted, and then she walked past her. She ate and got ready for the day. Before she picked up her backpack, she hesitated. _...I don't wanna go to school today._ The events of last night had left her too rattled.

"Alexis!" Octavia called. "You comin'?"

"I... I'm walking there!" she shouted a reply, her voice shaky.

"Oh, OK." She heard Via walk away, leaving her to her lonesome. She picked up her backpack and started walking towards Inkopolis Square. There were some inklings in the square in the morning, mostly squids who attended Central Inkopolis High School or squids that did not go to school at all. However, the number was nothing compared to how many inklings filled the square in the afternoon.

She wasn't aiming to play a turf war or two before she went to school, however. In fact, she wasn't going to go to school at all. Instead, she dove into the manhole that led to Octo Canyon, away from the city.

She popped out of the grate in her hero suit, but Callie and Marie were absent. Only DJ Octavio remained, sleeping in the snow globe he was imprisoned in. Alexis walked over to him and tapped the glass. He woke up, blinking lazily.

"...The Dauntless?" He raised an eyebrow. "What's a hipster like you doin' here?"

"I'm not answering that," she stated. "Do you know where the Squid Sisters are?"

"Them? They're sleepin' in their fancy houses." He crossed his tentacles. "Meanwhile, I'm sleepin' here, while my soldiers don't get to listen to ma spicy wasabi beats every day."

"Doesn't that get boring?"

"Nah, they love it!" He slammed his tentacles into the bottom of the snow globe, unsettling some of the shells lying on the floor. "They always love ma beats."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She walked over to the bench outside the Cuttlefish Cabin and began scrolling through her phone.

"Hey, get back here! Agent 4! _Agent Fourrrr!_ "

She continued to ignore DJ Octavio, rubbing her eyes. She let out a yawn. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn't risk the nightmares again. Not now, anyways. Eventually, she saw Marie pop out of the grate, wearing her kimono. Her golden eyes widened upon seeing the short-haired inkling. She closed her umbrella and ran as fast as she could to Alexis.

"Agent 4! Don't you have school?" she asked, bewildered.

"I'm skipping it today," she replied. "I already have my nightmares to deal with." She looked past Marie to see if her cousin had arrived. Still, no one new had arrived since Marie. "Where's Callie?"

"Callie? She's filming a commercial in-" The grey-haired inkling paused. "Wait, did you say nightmares?"

"Yeah..." She rubbed her shoulder. "Nothing important."

"What do you mean? It is important!"

"I can deal with them on my own," she insisted.

"Not if you're losing sleep," she argued. "Look, I may be a night owl, too, but at least I try to balance my sleep schedule."

Alexis sighed. "You're right." She looked up at her with orange eyes. "Could you help me with them?"

"I can't," Marie admitted. "...But Agent 3 probably could."

"Agent 3?"

"Yeah, she gets lots of nightmares. If only she wasn't down in the subway, or whatever it is."

"Oh yeah, she's in the subway!" Alexis shot up to her feet, pumping a fist. "Thanks, Marie!" She grabbed the new Hero Shot and ran off.

"What?! Four!"

The bronze-skinned girl ignored the idol's calls, as minutes later, she had popped out in the square with her normal gear. She ran over to the subway on the other side of Inkopolis Square, though she gained a few strange looks from passing jellyfish. She jumped over the silver gate and ran into the darkness. In one hand, she had the fully-upgraded shooter, and in the other, she had her phone, using it as a flashlight.

Recalling the path the Rainbow Squids took when they walked down here the first time, she soon arrived at the place where Agent 3 had first dropped the note on them. _Maybe if I wait here, Agent 3 will see me, and then she'll come down to talk to me!_

She put away her Hero Shot and waited, and waited. "Agent 3!" There was no response. Some neon lights in the corner of her vision flickered. "Agent 3! It's me, Alexis!"

Suddenly, she heard something bang overhead. She looked up, and a vent bust open. Dropping down was an inkling girl, blue lights trailing behind her. She used a hand to break her fall, and she stood up, throwing her head back and looking down at her with confused eyes. A cape trailed behind her. A smile came across the orange-haired girl's face, giddy.

"Why are you down here again?" Agent 3 questioned, crossing her arms. "I already told you, it's too dangerous."

"Well... I heard you have nightmares," she started, her smile falling.

She raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

"Uh... Someone." Alexis scratched the back of her head. "Look, can you help me with mine?"

She took a step back, surprised. "You have nightmares?"

"Yeah... I've been having them for like, two or three months now."

"...When did you come down here the first time?"

"The end of March. It's the middle of May now. There's a Splatfest this weekend."

"It's...May?" Agent 3 took a step back, frowning. "And it was March back then?" She looked down at her feet.

"Agent 3?" Alexis tried reaching out for the fair-skinned girl, but she pulled her hand back.

"It was August when I left," she started. "I was supposed to play in the Mayo vs. Ketchup Splatfest with my friends, but Cap'n came for me last minute."

"That sucks. What did he want?"

"He wanted to research what happened to the Octarians after..." She paused. "...the Great Turf War. I was the only squid available. I just had to help him. Old men and hostile environments don't exactly mix. So, I told my friends I was going to be gone for a while and left.

"September came, and then October. I asked Cap'n one day when we would go home. He promised we would come back by the end of the year."

"Why didn't you come back?"

"I saw someone. An octoling. Armed. At first, I was confused why she was on the surface. I didn't have time to react when Cap'n suddenly ordered me to attack her. I did as I was told and started running towards her. She noticed me and managed to dodge the attack. We had a good fight. But before I could finish her off, _something_ came."

"What?! What was it?"

"I don't remember what it was. Before I knew it, I was knocked out. I woke up in a strange, white hall, being carted off by these strange, green octolings. I sat up, and they pulled out their weapons. I pulled out mine as well. I splatted them and ran off. And before I knew it, I realized that Cap'n wasn't with me. I started searching the rooms. Nothing. It was then I realized...I was lost. And if I was lost, then Cap'n was in danger. I started looking for him, scoring every single corner of this place.

"I started to get hungry. And thirsty. But there was no food or water around here. I started looking for a way after here. Just as I thought I would collapse, I saw sunlight. I heard music. I poked my head through, and I found myself in an alleyway that led directly to Inkopolis Square. I ran outside, to Starfish Drinks. I ordered some food, and ate it. But people started giving me strange looks. I decided then that I would only go during the night, so no one could notice me. I didn't want to start any rumors." She sighed. "But then more and more squids started coming down here. Including you and your friends."

Alexis blinked. "Wow...that's quite the tale. I guess we're the only ones to make it this far," she concluded.

Agent 3 nodded. "Most of them ran away after I told them to leave. But no, you squids stayed. So, I had to come down myself. But you still wouldn't leave. I guess battling something was the only thing that would convince them to leave."

"Hey, it was fun," she noted.

She shrugged. "I guess it is when Inkopolis isn't in danger."

"So, _can_ you help me with my nightmares?"

The two started walking down the tunnel, lights passing by them. "Sure. What are they about?"

"It's like..." The bronze-skinned inkling looked up at the ceiling. She heard something groan from up above her. It was almost like the sounds she heard from time-to-time in the Octarian domes, too. "...T-There's a lot of robots surrounding me." Her voice was shaky as she recalled the terrors. "Sometimes, someone's using a Bomb Rush against me. Other times, they just try to smash me. But a lot of times, Callie's there. Singing."

Agent 3 raised an eyebrow. " _Callie?_ Like, from the Squid Sisters?"

Alexis nodded. "Singing about how I don't belong in the Rainbow Squids, or how I'm weak." Her orange eyes started to droop. "I'm sorry, Agent 3. I'll just drag you down while I'm here."

"No, you won't," she insisted, grabbing her hand, much to her surprise. "You can help me. Just don't get splatted. Via would splat me if you did."

"Help you? With what?" she asked.

"After the battle with Octo Oven, I've been looking around the other stations to see if Cap'n happened to be there. I've only searched the ones closer to here, but there's _a lot_ of them."

"So, we're going to see what's in one of them today?"

Agent 3 nodded, stopping to pull out a blue, card-like device. "I've been marking the ones I've been to in here." She pressed a button, pulling up a screen mapping each and every station. "Toastmaster Station is the name of the one we were in. It's the intersection between Lines I and G."

Alexis examined the map, only to see that it was written in another language. "You can read that?"

"Not much," she admitted. "But I know enough." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, anything with a red dot means I've checked it."

"What's with the circle ones?" the bronze-skinned girl asked. Two of the aforementioned spots—one on a magenta line, one on a sky blue line—were marked.

"Those? I don't what they're for. When I looked in them, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing except some chanting from the speakers."

"Oh. So..." Her finger rested on the magenta station next to its intersection with a black line. "Could we go here?"

"That's..." Agent 3 put her thumb on the joystick, causing the map to zoom in. She directed it to the station Alexis requested. "'Bodacious Rotation Station.'"

"So, can we go? Please?"

"Yeah." She closed the map and grabbed Alexis's hand again. They started running, until they reached the intersection of rails. The short-haired girl recognized the station above, but that was not where they were going. Agent 3 looked up at the sign marking the station they were at, and instead of going towards it, the two inklings started going east of it. They followed the contour of the trail until another intersection was reached. They made a sharp turn once more and started heading down that line.

They reached another intersection, only to find a train blocking their way. It was metallic, with a window on the back door, which would allow them to peer inside. It was covered in stickers, posters, and other graffiti, though the company's logo was plastered right on the door. The two inklings super-jumped up to the ledge to get a closer look at the station they were at.

Standing on a raised platform was the octoling Alexis saw when they originally came here. Glass surrounded her, and when it lowered, she did not appear to have a weapon. She walked over to the glowing sea cucumber near the gate, and she kneeled to talk to it. An arm extended from the sea cucumber, pointing to the gates. Alexis saw her sigh, curling a pink tentacle around her finger. She took out a white version of the device Agent 3 had and walked to the gate, where she slid it and launched into the station.

"That's..." the green-haired inkling muttered, her eyes widening.

"Who? Who is it?" the orange-haired inkling whispered.

"The octoling I fought," she revealed. "I thought she either got splatted in the attack or got turned into one of those green ones."

"Well, she's not green, is she?" Alexis teased.

Agent 3 shook her head. "No. But... A small part of me was hoping she was alive. And not green. And turns out she is."

"Well, what now? We gonna follow her?"

"No. We need to keep moving. I already checked that station; nothing inside it."

"Can't we stay a little longer? I'm tired from all that running!"

Her expression softened. "Hmm...I guess we can sit here until she finishes. Once she's done, then we're gonna start running again. Neither of us know where this train is going afterwards."

 _She listened to me!_ Alexis exclaimed silently. _She listened to me!_

The two inklings sat on the ledge on the edge of the train, waiting. Every now-and-then, Agent 3 turned her head, checking the gates. Alexis, meanwhile, focused on the side. Neon signs flashed on the wall, and she could see some strange jellyfish walking on the sidewalk below. _People live here?_ She stood up and looked into the subway cart. A gulper eel was making his way to one of the seats, bumping into a tree sponge along the way. He blew a raspberry at her and sat down across from her, much to her annoyance. _Woah..._ She had seen a few gulper eels, but the tree sponge? She had only seen old pictures of them in her history books. And her grandma's house. She often made trips to the deep in her youth.

"Hey, Agent 3," Alexis whispered. "You ever seen other people living down here?"

"Other than the green Octarians? No," the green-haired girl replied.

"You said you've scored every single corner of this place aside from the subway tracks. You sure?"

"Well, only the important parts."

"Well, there's people in here," she pointed out. "Look!" She gestured for Agent 3 to rise, and together, they peeked through the window. Since she had last looked inside, nothing had changed.

"...Good find," she said after a few moments. "I wonder how they live."

"Maybe there's a restaurant," she theorized. "And they gotta get water from somewhere."

"Maybe."

A few more minutes passed, and suddenly, Alexis heard something land nearby. She whipped her head over to the source to find that the curly-haired octoling had landed on the platform, holding something in her hand. The glass barrier surrounded her briefly before retracting once more. She smiled and walked back inside the train. The sea cucumber followed her inside, and soon, the train rumbled.

"That's our cue," Agent 3 announced. "One, two, three!"

The two inklings jumped off of the train, back onto the rails. The train backed up a few feet and turned left, disappearing into the darkness, with only the rear lights marking its position, but even then, the lights grew further and further away. After ducking, they rose to their feet and started walking straight down the path once more. Alexis's adrenaline had faded, and exhaustion started to set in once more. Her head throbbed as she struggled to walk straight, but she tried her best to ignore it. She couldn't just faint in front of Agent 3!

Eventually, she tripped on the track. Before she could fall completely on the ground, the other inkling caught her hand and pulled her back to her feet.

"Hey!" she gasped. "Are you OK?" Her voice was relatively calm, but her eyes betrayed a different emotion. _Worry?_

The short-haired inkling rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Right, and let's just forget the nightmares." She shook her head. "You can't just ignore them."

"But they're terrifying," she protested. "I don't wanna sleep." She shivered. "Every time I sleep, _he_ comes back to haunt me with everything he's done."

Agent 3 flinched. " _He?_ "

Shoot. Alexis fidgeted, trying to find the right words. "He's..." _I can't just tell her I'm Agent 4. Then she'll start wondering why. And she doesn't know about the Great Zapfish going missing, if she's really been gone for that long._ "A bad man," she continued. "A really, really bad man."

"He didn't try-"

"No!" she interrupted. "He tried to kill me!"

"Well, that's still bad."

"Then how do I stop?!" Alexis stomped her foot on their ground, stopping their continued trek to the station they were looking for. "How do I stop having these nightmares!"

"Calm down." Agent 3 placed a hand on her shoulder. "For starters, you could actually get some sleep. Like, at the time you usually go to bed."

"Will that really make them go away?"

"They...never stop," she admitted. "I still have them. Being only down here has only made them worse."

"Then what do you dream about, Agent 3?" she asked. "What haunts your nightmares?"

"My archnemeses. One of my ordinary life, one of this secret life. A lot of times, I can't save my friends and family. I try, but I fail. So then I see things much worse. My brother and sister dying. My family name being ruined. Cap'n being trapped forever. One and Two—you met them when we battled Octo Oven—being captured. My friends leaving forever."

"A lot of things. Just like me."

She laughed. "C'mon. Let's keep moving."

Without another word spoken, they continued to traverse the railway, neon lights flashing by as they walked. Hot pink markers lined the trails, with numbers dictating each station by each gate. Eventually, Agent 3 threw her arm out, stopping Alexis from continuing on any further. She pointed to the platform above them and turned into a squid, preparing to super-jump. The green-haired inkling launched upwards, and the orange-haired inkling quickly followed.

Once they arrived on the platform, Alexis felt... _wind?_ A light breeze was going through the area, debris flying in the open space up ahead, where a giant block rotated. Red lasers shot from all sides of it.

"Kinda fresh," she commented. She pulled out her Hero Shot, much to Agent 3's surprise. "I'm ready."

The agent blinked as she pulled out her own Hero Shot. "Is that the same weapon from last time?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, "but it's even better now."

"Huh. The neon yellow suits it better, I think."

"Alright." The bronze-skinned girl smirked. "Let's get goin'."

She transformed into a squid and jumped into Agent 3's arms. The long-haired girl then pulled out the blue device from earlier and swiped it across the arm of the gate. It opened and launched them forward, landing on a checkpoint. Before them was a ride rail.

Turning her ink color to pink, Alexis shot the ride rail. "I got this." A long rail winded around the rotating platform, and she hopped on, with Agent 3 quick to follow. They circled around it, surveying the area. Indeed, the Octarians down here were like she remembered—strange and green. They wandered around with empty, glowing eyes. They hopped off at a thin wooden platform, where another checkpoint activated.

"We'll stick together for a bit," instructed the elder inkling. "Then, when it's safe, we split up." The box rotated once more before settling again. "Ready... Go!"

They hopped down to the concrete platform, where a few Octotroopers were waiting for them. Alexis charged towards one and shot her Hero Shot at it, splatting it. Unfortunately, she had ran straight into some of the turquoise gunk it had shot, splattering all over her shirt. A burning sensation spread through her chest, and she fell, clutching her gut.

"Ow..." she moaned. _Why does it hurt so bad...?_

"Alexis!" Agent 3 ran in front of her and started covering the surrounding area in ink. "Don't be reckless!"

"I'm sorry..." Her legs shaking, she got up. Her grip on her Hero Shot tightened as memories of her adventure in Octo Canyon came back to her. She was able to defeat _Octotroopers_ singlehandedly. She could definitely take these ones down with such a powerful ally by her side. Alexis then let out a sigh. "You're just so much better than me." She looked down at her gut. "A lot smarter, too."

Before Agent 3 could reply, a beep sounded, and the platform began to rotate once more. "Over here!" she demanded, breaking some boxes past the pillar that obscured their view. Together, they inked a path, arriving on another tower as squids when the stage settled. A silver post sat on the top, crackling with electricity as a red beam shot from its peak. They reformed and shot it, and the barrier broke. Alexis touched it, and it retracted into the ground. Something ringed in Agent 3's device.

"Booyah!" the short-haired girl cheered.

"Booyah," the long-haired girl muttered. "There's seven more. Best get to it."

Some Octocopters flew down to them, their fat bodies wiggling around. They prepared to shoot, and out of reflex, Alexis pointed her shooter at them and shot them down, pink ink falling where they once stood. Another beep sounded, and once again, they were thrown off balance. They climbed over to the next area of solid ground. The only problem was that Octarians swarmed the area. Their backs were turned, and the inklings' view was obscured by a few orange crates, which Alexis hoped would give them an advantage.

She pulled out a curling bomb and charged it, dropping a few feet in front of her and destroying the crates. A canned special revealed itself to be hidden in the crates, floating down in front of the bronze-skinned inkling's feet.

"Take it," Agent 3 instructed. "I don't need it."

Alexis picked up the can and examined the packaging. Baller. She stashed it away and approached the Octotroopers that were sitting on their pedestals. By now, they had grabbed their attention, and now turquoise blobs were barreling towards them. The inklings went on opposite sides of the wall, with Alexis taking the left path. She shot down the Octotrooper quickly and dodged the shot. Past it was another post. She eyed the other side to see that there was one there as well. Agent 3 jumped over the Octotrooper and threw a splat bomb at the post, destroying its barrier. She ran into it, causing it to retract into the ground. The younger inkling copied her movements, throwing another curling bomb at the post, which allowed her to grab it.

The stage started to rotate once more, and meanwhile, the Octotroopers resumed shooting at them. Agent 3 shot something, causing the wall between them to open. She gestured for Alexis to follow, and they swam to a ledge, where they found solid ground once more. In the pink ink, she huddled closer to the agent, comforted by her presence. The Octotrooper closest to them stopped firing, instead looking around in confusion. They remained submerged, waiting for the stage to rotate once more before continuing one. At the next rotation, Agent 3 emerged and inked the wall, and Alexis quickly followed. They returned to the platform they started on, where another Octotrooper was waiting.

The bronze-skinned girl charged towards it and quickly splatted it, but not before taking another hit. She crumpled once more, the pain worse than before. A sharp inhale sounded from Agent 3, who walked over and helped her to her feet. She tossed a bomb behind her, destroying the barrier on the post behind her. Her strength returning, Alexis ran past her and slapped the post, causing it to retreat.

"That's four," Agent 3 informed. "Halfway done."

They walked up to the pillar, where a red beam was shooting up into the sky. However, part of it was blocked off by a transparent wall, making it seem impossible to get up one way. They hopped over to the other side to it, but before they could do anything, the ground beneath their feet began to shift again. They balanced themselves on the pillar, where another post came into view, this one much easier to reach. Agent 3 ran ahead, swooping down to the goal and collecting it. Alexis followed her, but before she dropped down to the wooden platform it rested on, the stage shifted again. Once again, they arrived up at the side with clear walls, where two Octotroopers were waiting. Agent 3 threw a splat bomb over the wall, splatting one of them, while Alexis dealt with the other. A few seconds later, they were thrown off their feet again, regrouping at the base of yet another tower.

"I think we've-" The long-haired girl was interrupted when a red laser pointed at her. She jumped back against the wall, a trail of turquoise ink falling at her feet. "...Never mind." Alexis looked past her to see the source of the attack—an Octosniper. It was flying around on an UFO, shooting at them.

They proceeded to ink the wall, climbing up to the top of the pillar to collect the post. Another Octosniper spawned, flying in to target them. In an instant, Agent 3 pulled out a Sting Ray and fired at them, the force of the laser pushing her back.

"Find the last two," she commanded. "I'll deal with these guys."

"Will do!" Alexis piped up. "Take out those octoslobs!"

The stage shifted once more, causing them to return where they started. Agent 3 started up her special weapon again while the short-haired girl started to run towards the tower, where a red light still shined. She slid to the side, turquoise ink brushing her shoulder. She inked the wall and climbed it, using a curling bomb to break the barrier. The post retracted, and at last, they only had one more goal to collect before they could finally leave the dungeon. More Octocopters flew in, distracting her as the platform rotated once more. She fell to the wall, more grunts surrounding her. She aimed her Hero Shot and fired, pink ink flying onto the concrete in her wake. She swam up to solid ground, surveying the area.

 _Where's Agent 3?_ she wondered. _I hope she didn't fall._ It was a thought that shocked her, causing her to flinch. Would she even think that? She was with Agent 3. If she fell, Alexis was doomed. Pushing the thought aside, she found herself unable to spot the last post. _It has to be on the bottom of this thing,_ she concluded. _It has to be._

The stage rotated once more, and she found herself sectioned off by the walls once more. She ran across it and looked around once more. She spotted a red laser shooting from the side. _There it is!_ She ran up to it, only to find that there was no way to safely grab it at her current position. Thankfully, another beep sounded. _Now's my chance!_ Alexis took out the can she had picked up early and bust it open with her fist, surrounding her in a protective barrier.

"Baller!" she proclaimed. As the ground became a wall, she swam upwards and balanced on the new ground. She took a few steps forward, dropping on the silver post and shattering the barrier. She let the Baller explode, and once she was free, she reached out a hand to touch the metal. It retracted, and the stage came to a stop. It was over.

She climbed back up to see Agent 3, dropping down from the tower. "You did it!" she exclaimed. "You actually did it."

"See?" She smirked. "I'm stronger than I look."

"I know," she admitted. "I'm impressed."

Her smirk grew into a huge smile. "You really think that?!" _Agent 3 thinks I'm good! Agent 3 thinks I'm good!_

The long-haired inkling nodded. "When I saw those Octocopters surround you, I thought you would splat. But you took them down. Without any help at all. I think that deserves a medal."

"Thank you!" Alexis pulled Agent 3 into a hug, much to the older inkling's surprise. "Thank you very much!"

"No." She hugged her back. "Thank you." After a few seconds, they let go, and the fair-skinned girl adjusted her headset. "Let's get back."

They prepared to super-jump, and a few seconds later, they were flying through the sky, trails of pink ink following them. They landed in front of the raised platform, where a wave of dizziness washed over Alexis. She gripped her head. She found herself back in DJ Octavio's arena, magenta ink surrounding her fragile body. The enemy ink rose, growing taller and taller, as if it was a wave preparing to crash down on her. Someone called her name, but she couldn't make out who. The ink surrounded her in a magenta vortex, and she collapsed.

* * *

"Alexis!"

The short-haired inkling groaned, sensing light beneath her eyelids. She tried to open them, catching a glimpse of a fair-skinned girl with green, long hair standing over her. She opened them some more, her vision blurred.

_"Alexis!"_

The image grew sharper, and she realized that the inkling was Agent 3, her hands resting firmly on her shoulders. The ceiling seemed to glow blue, and light revealed part of the older inkling's face from the darkness. Panic filled her tired eyes. Alexis's eyes focused on hers, and her expression became a smile.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, relieved. "Finally! I wouldn't forgive myself if that ended up killing you."

The bronze-skinned inkling put a hand on her forehead. "...How long have I been out?"

"A few hours, if I had to guess." The agent released her grip and sat down in front of her. "It's definitely after school now, though. There's a ton of squids in the square."

"After...school..." Alexis got up. "Then..."

"Alexis!" someone called from outside. "Where are you?!"

 _That sounds like..._ "Via!" She began running towards the exit of the tunnel. She heard footsteps behind her, and a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed it to be Agent 3. The young inkling ran out to the surface, sunlight hitting her skin. Octavia was standing outside of Inkopolis Studio, her hands near her mouth. "Via! I'm over here!"

The wavy-haired girl looked down the alleyway. "Alexis!" She ran up to her and hugged her. "Where have you been?"

"Down in the subway," she replied. She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"It's fine." Octavia patted her sister's head. "I used to skip school a lot when I was 14. Though, not to go down in scary subways..."

"I remember," she said. "Mom was so mad when she found out you skipped school to play turf wars."

"Well, I'm better now." She put her hands on her hips, smirking. "And you better not skip school again. Don't want to get on Mom's bad side."

"You sounded worried," Agent 3 interjected.

Via looked past Alexis, her orange eyes blinking. "Oh, Agent 3." She waved. "Didn't expect to see you, too."

The green-haired inkling scoffed. "She would've been lost if it wasn't for me."

"But yeah, I was worried," she admitted. "When I didn't see you at school, I started worrying that you got squidnapped or something. But hey! It's fine now!"

Alexis smiled. "Thanks, Via. Sometimes I'm glad to have a sister like you."

She blinked, caught off-guard by the comment. _"Sometimes?!"_ Alexis giggled. "Alexis!"

Agent 3 sighed. "I guess I'm done here."

"Why don't you come up to Inkopolis Square often?" Via asked. "It's fun! You don't have to be stuck down there."

"I chose to be stuck down there," she replied. "And I'm not coming back until I find who I'm looking for."

The wavy-haired inkling frowned, defeated. "Whateves. Your call."

The sisters turned around to leave, but standing in their way was the Vigilante. Alexis jumped at the sight of him. He donned the hero costume today, his arms crossed. Still, a smile danced along his lips as he struggled to hide it.

"What...?" Agent 3 stopped her travel back into the subway and turned around. "...Oh. It's you."

Alexis blinked. "You've met the Vigilante?"

"Unfortunately." She took her place beside the short-haired girl and glared at him. "What do you want?"

"I thought I saw you," the boy with the ponytail confessed. "Now, let's say we do another battle again?"

"Are you gonna try to take me to your boss again this time?" she deadpanned. "I'm still not goin'."

"Hit the zapfish on the head, Agent 3," he confirmed. "Besides, why don't you come? I could give you anything you want in exchange. Money, gear, love..." His voice lowered. "My name."

The long-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Your...name?"

"Yeah, my real name." He smirked. "It's a prized possession of mine, y'know. I just don't give it out willy-nilly."

"I don't really care what your name is."

"Just please, come with me," he begged. "My boss has been asking more and more about this girl she wants me to find. You're the closest thing I have. What would convince you to come with me?"

"Well, if you found Cap'n, maybe I'll come. Like that'll ever happen."

"I don't know who that is," he pointed out.

"Face it, Vigilante." Octavia stepped up and looked him straight in the eye. "I know who your boss is really after."

"Who?" He laughed. "I doubt you know her."

"Geneva Gonati," she said. Both the Vigilante and Agent 3 flinched at the absent squid's name. "I know you know who she is."

"Right," he muttered. "You knocked my shades off of me that one battle."

Agent 3 looked at Via, eyes wide. "You know who the Vigilante is?"

She nodded before returning her attention to the fair-skinned boy. "I saw you talking to your boss after that battle." She glanced over at the long-haired girl. "You know who his boss is? A squid named Tiffany Teuthis."

Upon hearing the name, Agent 3 tensed. "Tiffany...Teuthis?"

"You see, Geneva's my friend. Her brother used to date Tiffany. But then, she just destroyed his self-esteem. She and her brother ended up moving here to escape her."

"But now she's back in Inkopolis," Alexis finished. "And she wants to find Geneva. But jokes on her, Geneva's on vacation!"

"I _know_ Geneva's on vacation," the Vigilante snapped. "I know she wants _her_ , but to hurt her? No, Tiffany wouldn't do such a thing." He clenched a fist. "She wouldn't."

"She would," Via continued. "You're just ignoring everything we tell you just because she treated you nicely." The Vigilante turned around and prepared to run, but before he could launch off the ground, the wavy-haired inkling grabbed his hand. "She's gonna hurt you when she's done with you, Vigilante. I just know it."

He pulled his hand from Octavia. "G-Get away!" he demanded. "She's not going to hurt me, and she's not going to hurt Geneva! She's done nothing but be nice to me! She gave me my roller, both ones! Would a bad person do that?"

"She's tricking you!"

"No..." The Vigilante took even more steps back. "No! That's not true!"

Agent 3 let out a deep sigh, causing everyone's attention to shift to her. "If you're associating with that witch," she started, her eyes narrowing to a death stare, "then I'd rather burn then go with you."

"No!" He reached a hand out for her, but Agent 3 was gone—she had bolted back into the subway, disappearing into the darkness again. "Agent 3!" A few seconds later, he lowered his hand, clenching a fist. "Dang it."

Octavia reached a hand out for the Vigilante. "Inigo..."

"I don't want it," he growled, his voice cold. "Thank you for taking away this chance." He walked away, his back turned to them. After he was out of sight, it was simply just the two sisters, standing alone in the alleyway.

"Geez," Alexis muttered. "What happened to the old Inigo?"

"He grew too desperate," Via replied. "That's what I think." She looked down at her sister. "C'mon, Alexis," she started, her voice more cheerful. "Let's go do some ranked battles."

Alexis nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I can get to S today."

"It's Clam Blitz right now," she pointed out. "Isn't that your lowest rank?"

"You and me both!" The sisters laughed. "Alright, Clam Blitz, here we come!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, this chapter's here. And what do you know, Octavia does something useful! Good job, Via, telling the Vigilante off like that. How do you like Agent 3 reappearing? Now you know a little more about her. A little trivia on the chapter's name: it was intended to be a reference to the song "Finders Keepers" by R.I.P, but once I finished it, I thought it didn't really fit anymore. However, no matter what I tried, I couldn't find anything that fit. So, then I pondered on the original title a bit, and realized it can apply to this chapter. Alexis wants to find Agent 3, Agent 3 wants to find Cap'n Cuttlefish, and the Vigilante also wants to find Agent 3. While 'keepers' only really applies to the Vigilante, it's still a nice way to think about it.


	71. Ninja Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonnie faces off against Tess in the Raph vs. Donnie Splatfest, alongside some of Yuri's new friends.

_Bonnie's PoV_

_"Booyah!"_ Yuri cheered. "Donnie made it to the final round!"

"I know, right?" Bonnie enthused. "I can't believe I get to support my favorite turtle!"

"Easy for you to say," Octavia muttered. "Mikey lost to Donnie. I thought he was more popular!"

In the square, inklings around them were dancing as Off the Hook sang Color Pulse, up on the stage above the entrance to the Deca Tower. Yuri and Bonnie both donned purple t-shirts, while Octavia was donning a red t-shirt, marking her as a member of the opposite team. A jellyfish waddled by them, where Bonnie waved at them. They stopped for a few brief moments before continuing on their trek.

"You chose Raph instead, then?" the girl with the double bun commented.

"Yeah, he won the first of these three Splatfests," the wavy-haired girl confirmed.

"Donnie won the last one, too," the spiky-haired boy pointed out. "So, I bet he'll win this one, too!"

"That's...not how it works," Bonnie argued, shaking her head.

"Well, I just gotta hope he wins, and he'll win," he countered, pumping a fist.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, when Raph wins," Via teased.

"No, when _Donnie_ wins," the blue-eyed girl jested. She giggled at her own joke. "See ya tomorrow, Via."

"You too." The wavy-haired girl walked towards the Deca Tower, disappearing into the crowd. Now, it was Yuri and Bonnie's job to search for the other two inklings on their team who had chosen Team Donnie—Inigo and Perry. Via had made sure the former didn't run off as the Vigilante and actually join them today. She even got Perry to watch over him.

The two inklings split up, checking the opposite sides of the square. Bonnie peeked into the shops of the Galleria, scanning each for her friends. She spotted them in Headspace, with Inigo trying on a gas mask.

"I don't like this," he admitted. "It's too stuffy."

"Dunno, I think it looks neat," Perry insisted. "Maybe not with those clothes, though."

The boy with the ponytail took it off and set it on the shelf again. "Maybe another day," he proclaimed.

"OK, but whaddabout this visor?" The pale-skinned boy picked up a golf visor. "Doesn't get in the way."

"I already have that," he groaned. "I wore that for two months straight when I was a newbie."

"Yeah, but that's old. This one doesn't look like it's been caught up in the guns of a Hydra Splatling."

"Perry, you did that. You took my visor and ran it through your Hydra Splatling one day just to mess with me."

"Hey, that was fun!"

"Not for me!"

"Hey, squids, stop!" Bonnie stepped into the shop, sliding in front of the two boys. "We're ready now."

"Oh, Bon-Bon, hey." Perry waved. "Thought I'd see Yuri, not you."

Bonnie winced. "Ouch..."

"Sorry," he corrected himself, frowning. "That was a joke. One hundred percent a joke."

"Didn't seem like it," she muttered.

"You're gonna beat me up 'bout this," the purple-eyed boy commented quietly.

"Let's go," Inigo said at last. "Yuri's probably waiting for us."

The three inklings walked out of the shop, back into the square. Bonnie searched the other strip of buildings in search for her dark-skinned friend. She quickly spotted Yuri walking into the Shoal and started calling his name. He turned around, and with a smile, he ran back to the group.

"Ah, so you were in Headspace!" he chirped.

Perry nodded. "Thought Inigo needed a new hat."

"I didn't need a new hat, but it was pretty relaxing in there," Inigo added.

"Well, are we all ready?" asked Yuri, pumping a fist.

Bonnie nodded. "Definitely."

"Booyah! Rainbow Squids, let's go!"

They ran towards Deca Tower, pushing past the group of inklings that had congregated in front of the stage Pearl and Marina danced on. Inside, the lights in the tower flickered between red and purple, representing this Splatfest's colors. The group pulled out their weapons, ready to battle. Some inklings were dancing near the side of the tower. Bonnie also spotted Tiffany near an elevator, and she shuddered. Her head lifted from her phone as they neared the elevator, and she gave a sweet smile. Bonnie glared at her in return and entered, leaving her behind. Inside was a group of inkling boys she didn't recognize, talking to a familiar fair-skinned girl.

"Tess!" Bonnie realized. "Hi."

Tess turned around and waved. "Hi," she greeted back. Her green eyes scanned their shirts. "Aw, man, you squids are on Team Donnie..."

"I'm just on it 'cause I like purple," Perry replied. "Pretty simple, right?"

"Patch! Tackle! Zip!" Yuri suddenly piped up. The group of inkling boys turned to the spiky-haired boy. "It's you!"

"Hey, Studio," one dark-skinned inkling with a bowl cut greeted. "Nice seein' ya here."

The pale-skinned boy looked over at his friend. "'Studio?'"

"It's a nickname," Yuri explained. "After my headphones."

"Ah, got it. These squids named after gear, too?"

"Yeah, but I can't wear my jacket," an almond-skinned inkling confirmed. "Splatfest rules. Which is stupid, because I like my jacket." Bonnie squinted, examining him. _I feel like I know him from somewhere...but from where?_

"Guess you're 'Jogger,' then," Perry jested.

"Shut up," he snapped, blushing.

"Anyways, these are some of my other friends," Yuri continued to introduce them, walking up to them. "That's Patch." He patted the other dark-skinned inkling's back. "That's Tackle." He pointed to the honey-skinned inkling wearing an Octo Tackle Helmet Deco. "And that's Zip." He finally pointed to the boy with the jogging headband. "They go to East Inkopolis."

"Nice to meet you," Bonnie said, clasping her hands together.

"Nice to meet you too," Tackle muttered.

"I'll be honest, Studio, thought you mained a slosher or something," Patch continued. "You didn't really strike me as a splatling type."

"Well, I like supporting my friends," Yuri explained. "And besides, splatlings are super fun! You sit back, charge it up, and let it rip!"

"If ya want slosher advice, y'all can talk to me," Perry interjected, sitting on his Sloshing Machine. "They're my favorite."

"Well..." The boy with the bowl cut threw his Neo Splash-o-Matic in the air, which spun around before he caught it. "May the best team win." He then donned a toothy grin. "Better not let me down, Tess."

"I won't!" Tess put her feet together and saluted. "I'll give you a match to remember!"

"That's the spirit!" He pumped a fist.

The elevator began to descend, and a few seconds later, the paneling of the floor slid open to reveal the grate that would lead to their next destination, wherever that would be.

"See you on the other side," Inigo stated. "And may the best team win."

Everyone turned into squids, slipping through the grate and traveling to their next destination. Bonnie popped out on the spawn point, and a little later, she transformed into a kid, looking out on a school's campus. Various sketches were hung up on the walls, and graffiti was present everywhere she looked. Inkblot Art Academy. Once the match started, the beige-skinned girl began firing her Classic Squiffer rapidly, created small trails of purple ink wherever she pointed. The rest of the Rainbow Squids had proceeded, but she hung back, wishing to charge her special weapon up.

The moment her hair started to glow, she began to swim towards the middle area. She climbed up on a box, looking down at the inklings below. Behind the statue attached to the tower in the middle was Patch, and he was now emerging from it. He aimed his shooter at the ground, inking whatever turf he could. Sticking her tongue out, Bonnie began to charge up her Squiffer, and the moment it beeped, she flicked her wrist and shot it, the trail piercing right through Patch's chest. He splatted with an expression of surprise, a red ghost flying away as his gear sunk into the ground.

She hopped down to the main area, scouting it. Inigo ran past her with the wheel of his Carbon Roller on the ground creating a path for her to take. Storing her charge, she dipped into the ink and swung around the bend, popping out and firing a shot afterwards. It didn't hit anything, instead falling on an uninkable wall. Sighing, she activated Ink Armor, a purple mist surrounding her before hardening into a protective layer of ink. She inked the side of the tower and climbed up it, giving her a perch to rest on.

Zip jumped onto the top of the uninkable wall and lifted his Dynamo Roller, preparing to swing it. Before he could complete the swing, Bonnie rushed towards him and fired her Classic Squiffer, splatting him in one hit. What ink managed to leave the roller came in direct contact with her body, shattering the Ink Armor and leaving a few drops of red ink on her clothes. She landed on the ground, the soles of her shoes becoming sticky with enemy ink. She trudged through it until she reached her purple ink, where she submerged in the ink to recover.

Bonnie returned to the top of the tower and charged up her weapon again. While she was gone, Yuri had taken her place, a splash wall set up in front of him. He was firing away with his Heavy Splatling Deco, his tongue sticking out. Trying to dodge his shots was Tess, awkwardly strafing behind the uninkable walls. She tried firing back with her Splattershot Pro, but the splatling proved to outrange her, as she eventually splatted. The splash wall broke, and Bonnie jumped ahead, falling down to the floor, unable to make the jump.

Tackle ran down the ramp, Foil Squeezer in hand. As soon as he turned the bend, he pulled out a Bubble Blower, in which he proceeded to swing it, creating three large bubbles that cornered the beige-skinned girl. She began shooting at them in panicked, only for the bubbles to become red as they filled up with ink. They quickly burst, immediately splatting her. When she respawned, she immediately super-jumped to Yuri, but as she flew through the air, she heard some voices.

"Watch your back, Yuri," said Tackle. His shooter was pointed at the dark-skinned boy. "You never know when someone will sneak up on you."

Yuri turned around, confused. "Huh?" The honey-skinned inkling pressed the trigger of the Foil Squeezer, popping it open. He repeatedly pressed the trigger until he splatted. Bonnie gasped, and she met a similar fate when she landed. A few shots later and she was also flying back to spawn as her gear sunk into the top of the pillar. When she respawned, she was staring straight into Yuri's yellow eyes.

"That sucked," she muttered.

"Yeah." He stepped off the spawn point, adjusting his grip on his splatling. "But it's still early in the match." He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the girl with the double bun. "We can still win!"

She blinked before nodding. "Right."

Bonnie started running towards the middle of the map, only to find that it had been covered in red. Patch was turning the bend, walking up the ramp with his Neo Splash-o-Matic. As soon as his hair glowed under his hat, he began throwing suction bombs from a Bomb Launcher. The beige-skinned girl jumped back, surprised. She climbed up the wall and from the ledge, she threw a point sensor at him. A swarm of purple-and-black markers appeared, coating Patch in it. When Patch noticed it, he simply smirked.

"Being tracked won't stop me," he gloated. "I'll just stop you in your tracks instead." With the last of his Bomb Launcher, he threw two suction bombs up at the wall, landing at her feet. She ran even further back, allowing the boy with the bowl cut to advance further.

Perry dropped down next to her, pouting. "What now?" he whispered.

"I don't know!" she scolded softly. "Why're you asking me?"

"Thought you'd know," he explained. "You're smart."

"Then..." She gulped. Just what were they going to do? Tess had super-jumped to Patch, and she was now firing up at them. They scattered as she threw an Ink Storm at them. "Splat them!" she commanded.

"Should be no problem." Perry threw an autobomb down at the clearing, and it activated, waddling towards the girl with the ends of her hair cut off. She screeched, running away. She tripped on a wooden board, and she stumbled to the ink-covered ground. The bomb blew up at her side, splatting her.

"C'mon, Tess," Patch grumbled, frowning. "It's just an autobomb." His red eyes focused on the two inklings again. "Whatcha gonna do now? Splat me?"

Bonnie and Perry looked at each and nodded. "Yeah," confirmed the latter. "That's the plan."

He gave a toothy smirk. "Too bad I can't let that happen." He transformed into a squid and super-jumped away, much to the blue-eyed girl's dismay. "See ya, suckerrrrrs!"

She lowered her charger. "Dang it... I almost had him."

"On the bright side, they left our base," Perry tried to cheer her up. He started swinging his Sloshing Machine, blobs of purple ink falling onto the lot. Some of it was even dripping off of the statue in the middle. "Reclaim the block; it's splat-o'clock. Time to win, put the other team in the bin."

"Your rhymes need some work," she sighed, shaking her head. The pale-skinned inkling didn't seem to hear her, as he was now advancing towards the plaza. Bonnie decided to follow him down. A wave of red ink crashed onto him, splatting him. She looked up to see Zip, Dynamo Roller in hand. His green eyes met her blue ones, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Huh," he noted. "You look like my mom's friend."

She kept a poker face. "Yeah, so?"

"Nothin'," he replied. "Just thought it was interesting."

She sighed. _I need to focus._ She inked the side of the tower and charged up her Classic Squiffer. Turning into a squid, she charged up the wall and popped out of the ink, splatting Zip a split-second later. Once again, Team Donnie had regained control of the map. The beige-skinned girl looked towards the side of the map, near the water. Tackle and Inigo were battling, the former swiftly dodging the shots of the latter. Wishing to help her teammate, she swam towards the two boys.

Tackle glanced over at Bonnie, eyes narrowed. "Again?" He threw a bomb at Inigo and ran up to her. "You're like a pest. Always coming back after I splat you."

"It's two-on-one now," she pointed out. "How will you escape this one?"

"I-I can still splat you!" he defended, firing his Foil Squeezer. "I'll-"

He was cut off mid-sentence as a roller crashed down on him, splatting him. Inigo lifted his Carbon Roller over his shoulder, smirking.

"He talks too much," he remarked. He looked up at Bonnie. "C'mon. Let's go. We can't waste much time."

"Right." They dashed up to the main plaza once more. Inigo continued on ahead, up the ramp, while Bonnie returned to the tower she was perching on just a few moments ago. Her posture poised, she charged up her weapon, aiming it in front of her. As she swung her body, the laser that marked the range of her Classic Squiffer moved along with it. In the enemy base, Inigo was swinging his roller around, splashing purple ink everywhere. Patch ran up to him in an attempt to splat him, but Inigo simply dodged the attack and splatted him himself.

 _He's got this covered,_ she thought reassuringly. In the meanwhile, she kept a close eye on the area below, searching for anyone who managed to escape Inigo's splatting spree. Yuri super-jumped to her a few seconds later, charging up his splatling and unleashing many ink bullets on the lot the boy with the ponytail was currently lurking. Just as there was only one minute left in the battle, a Dynamo Roller crashed down on him, splatting him. Zip dropped down and pulled out a Sting Ray, aiming at Yuri and Bonnie. They scattered, dropping to the floor.

The girl with the double bun sprinted up the silver ramp and charged her Classic Squiffer once more, splatting Zip as soon as the giant beam coming from the machine he held died down. However, the danger had yet to subside. Red bullets were raining down from above. Lifting her head, she spotted Tess, firing her Splattershot Pro. Not noticing Bonnie, her hair started to glow, and she jumped onto the statue in the middle of the small lot. She burst an Ink Storm against it, and a red cloud now drifted across the stage, drops of ink dripping from it.

Bonnie hopped onto a patch of purple ink and charged up her weapon. Tess's yellow-green eyes scanned the area, and a few seconds later, she noticed the beige-skinned inkling at last. She shot at her once more, and the moment Bonnie released the trigger on the Squiffer, she splatted. The trail of ink was just long enough to splat Tess as well, and now two squid-shaped ghosts were flying to their respective spawns.

From the spawn point, she scanned the map. Team Raph was advancing once more, but Team Donnie was still holding on. She could just barely see another member of her team splat on the rightmost grassy lot. Determined to avenge him, she started to swim over there, Patch coming into view. Bonnie emerged and pressed down on the trigger of her charger, charging its power. He threw a burst bomb at her, causing her to cancel the charge and retreat briefly. Her foe climbed up to the main area, firing his Neo Splash-o-Matic.

"Thou art stopping here," he snickered. "Get it? 'Cause we're at Inkblot Art Academy."

Bonnie's face fell. "...That's lame."

Patch's brow furrowed. "Oh, you're payin' for that!" Before Bonnie could react, he pointed his shooter at her and shot her with ink, splatting her quickly. As she returned to the spawn point once more, she saw Inigo sneak up on him and splat him in retaliation. He wiped his forehead and put the wheel of his roller down once more, covering the center of the map back up.

When she respawned, a whistle blew, marking the end of the match. From the platform she stood on, Bonnie heard clapping behind her. She turned around to see Tiffany, sitting on the sidewalk that separated the stage from the street. A small smile framed her features.

"Well done," she congratulated. "I think you won."

"Have you been here the whole time?" she asked, shrinking back.

"Most of it, yeah," she confirmed. Her body was tilted forwards, her long, red hair falling down to her knees. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah..." she muttered. She tried to think of a reason why, but the only words that came out of her mouth were, "I do."

Tiffany sighed. "You know, you and your friends have been suspicious from me the moment they met me." She shook her head. "I don't understand. I haven't done anything wrong." She pouted. "So why are you so insistent on attacking me?"

"I-I..." Bonnie stepped back, frowning as she went through all the information she knew about her in her head. Despite Tiffany's claims, one thing stood out to her the most—she hurt Asher, Geneva, and Tess. Of which she is searching for the first two as of this moment. At least, that's what she assumed—if she wanted to hurt Tess, she could have done so back in the country.

"You hurt my friend!" she blurted out.

Tiffany's eyes widened, and she straightened, bringing a hand to her chest. "Me? Hurt you friend?"

"Yeah!" she declared. "T-Tess!" Bonnie didn't want to mention that she knew the young inkling's siblings, too. That would only make the lady more suspicious.

"You mean back at the seahorse race?" she questioned. Before the blue-eyed girl could continue, Tiffany explained, "I was just trying to give her some tough love. She just took it the wrong way, that's all." She gestured for her to leave. "I see Judd. Don't bring this up again."

"What?!" she hissed. "Come back!" Before she knew it, Tiffany was gone. Sighing, she started walking over to the center of the map, where Judd and Li'l Judd were located, standing on top of the central tower. The former had just struck out a purple flag, marking Team Donnie as the winner of this match.

"Woo!" Yuri exclaimed. "We won!"

"Team Raph's got nothin' on us!" Perry boasted.

"I'll admit, Studio," Patch started, "your team has some amazing synergy."

"We've been together for almost three years now," Inigo explained. "Isn't that amazing?"

The boy with the bowl cut laughed. "Guess that makes sense."

"We should go out for ice cream!" Tess suggested. "I'm hungry."

"Are the ice cream shops even open?" Tackle queried, putting a hand on his helmet.

"Well, they gotta be! Or else I'm filing a complaint," the fair-skinned girl defended.

Yuri looked over his shoulder and waved. "Hey, Bon-Bon. Somethin' wrong?"

"It's nothing," she replied, rubbing her arm. "I just saw something."

"And it scared ya?" Perry guessed.

"No, not scare, more like...made me mad." _If Tiffany hadn't gotten away, then maybe..._ She shook her head. _I don't know. But we have to stop her. Somehow._

"I think Tess's right," the indigo-eyed inkling pointed out. "I think if we all got some ice cream, we'd be feeling a lot better."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Zip asked, popping some gum into his mouth. "Let's go."

Inigo nodded and turned into a squid. "Let's get some ice cream, and have a splat-tastic time while we're at it."

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

The group super-jumped back to the Deca Tower, where they promptly left and started heading towards the nearest ice cream shop, still wearing Splatfest shirts. While they walked, Bonnie scanned the streets, looking for Tiffany. Nothing. It was like she disappeared with the wind.

 _Did I imagine it?_ Dismissing the thought, Bonnie lifted her head, her chin held high. _Enough of that. This is my life, and I'm not going to let those thoughts hold me down. But I still have to be wary, in case Tiffany shows up again..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, a lot of things are going to happen between now and the next Splatfest chapter. What things? If you've been paying attention to chapters earlier in the season you can probably guess, but either way, I'm very excited to write them. Hard to believe I'm almost halfway through Season 3 already. It still feels early in the season. Perhaps before I know it, it'll be the end of Season 3, and all of things I have been highly anticipating this season will have been written. But we still have several chapters to go, so buckle up. We have a wild ride ahead. Next chapter is an Inigo chapter...I can just feel the angst oozing off of it already. Speaking of Inigo, did you see the Square post I made this past Wednesday? It's basically just a drawing of Inigo with some pocky, and I had dressed up my inkling as him, too. Why? Well, it's more-or-less a tie-in with a drawing I did to celebrate Pocky Day, in which a past Geneva meets a Geneva after she comes back from her vacation. In that, past Geneva dons Inigo's ink color, while future Geneva dons a different person's ink color, causing future Geneva to remark how weird it is to see her with Inigo's ink color. But, it's completely irrelevant to "The Rainbow Squids." It's just something I did for fun.
> 
> You can see said drawing here if you wish: https://www.deviantart.com/maplebranchwing/art/Pocky-Confusion-860924497
> 
> See you next week!


	72. Distorted Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inigo overhears some nasty rumors about the Vigilante.

_Inigo's PoV_

In the night, a gentle breeze blew, a shroud of darkness concealing the Vigilante from above. He stood on top of the roof of Starfish Drinks, the green sign still flashing this late. His indigo eyes narrowed underneath his tinted shades, focused on the entrance. He had to trust that Agent 3 would pop out of it, and maybe, he could battle with her again and finally take her to Tiffany.

 _What would she say?_ he wondered. _She's not the squid she's truly looking for._ He figured out in the days since he encountered Agent 3 for the first time here that she was actually referring to Geneva. But, the two inklings looked so similar that she might as well mistake her for his absent friend.

Unfortunately, it would seem that he would have to take her by force. The moment Octavia revealed his boss's name, Agent 3 immediately fled. He was still a little upset at her for that, but he had mostly calmed down since the incident. It was unlike him to hold a grudge for so long, but when he lost his chance to persuade Agent 3 into coming with him, he had a right to be angry.

Eventually, he heard the door swing open, and the Vigilante's attention immediately drifted down towards it. There she was. Agent 3. He dropped down in front of her, only for her to pull out her Hero Shot and shove it into his gut. He stumbled backwards, gripping it. As soon as he settled, the green-haired inkling focused on him and narrowed her eyes.

"What. Are. You. Doing," she demanded.

"Battle me again," he pled. "Please."

"I feel like you'll just take me to Tiffany no matter what happens," she protested. "Again, no way I'm going with you."

"Agent 3, please! I'm begging you! She's not a bad person!"

"You don't know her like I do. The fact that you're working with her makes me sick."

"Please!"

"I'm done with your excuses," she muttered, walking down the street.

"Wait!"

The Vigilante started running after her, but as the night had concealed him, the night now concealed her. She had disappeared into the darkness, marking another failure.

* * *

The next morning, at the dining table, Inigo ate some cereal, peering at his sister, who sat across from him, her feet on the wood. She was focused on whatever was on her phone. He lifted his head, wiping milk from his mouth. Still, his sister ignored him, lifting her cellphone to take a selfie.

"Ophelia," he started.

His sister put her feet down and began leaning on the table. "Yeah?" She had put her phone down, and her hands were now clasped in front of her, expecting something. Mischief twinkled in her indigo, almost purple, eyes.

"It's nice that you're home from college for once, but..." His eyes narrowed. "Can you please stop with the pranks?"

"What? I'm not hurting you or anything, am I?" she asked.

"Yeah, my pride," he grumbled. "I don't like it."

"Well, I'm not hurting you _physically,_ " she dismissed.

"Ophelia!" He slammed his hands down on the table. "I'm being serious!"

"C'mon, I can't have fun?" Ophelia teased. "Did you turn into Mr. No-Fun-Allowed this past spring?"

Inigo let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head while his hand rested on it. "I'm going to school." Not bothering to take the bowl to the sink, he got up from his chair and walked over to where his backpack was resting, putting it on. Placing a fair-skinned hand on the door handle, he looked over his shoulder at his sister. "I love you, but please, for cod's sake, _stop pulling pranks on me._ "

"Can't make promises, but I love you too." Inigo's sister waved, and he exited his house.

The boy with the ponytail wasn't interested in driving today, so instead, he super-jumped to the school. He landed a few feet from the gates, nearly losing his balance. He got up and wiped some dirt off of his shirt before entering. The school was practically empty this early in the morning, with only a few jellyfish roaming the halls. Not even Bonnie was here yet. And she was usually the first out of all of the Rainbow Squids to arrive at the school.

Inigo stood next to the water fountain, watching everyone pass by. He could go further into the hallway and head to his first class, but he at least wanted to see his friends first. Or Naomi. He wouldn't mind seeing Naomi, too. ...But she didn't know he was the Vigilante.

 _I wish that could change,_ he thought. _But Tiffany wouldn't allow it._

The lady had caught wind of his rather long relationship with Naomi compared to every other girl he had gone out with as the Vigilante. She even summoned him to his apartment one day to talk about it.

 _"Why?"_ she had asked. _"Why are you still in a relationship with this one girl? It's been weeks."_

 _"I'm...trying a new strategy,"_ he had replied. _"I thought the girl you're looking for would become jealous if I stayed with her for a while."_

 _"Using jealously to your advantage?"_ Even now, he could see her sly smile. _"Interesting idea. You know, it would be a shame if you're lying to me. That would have...unfortunate consequences."_

_"I wouldn't lie to you. When I have I? I wouldn't start now."_

_"I trust you, boy, but trust me, you don't want things to get ugly."_

Inigo shivered as he remembered the threat. His friends had told him from time-and-time again that Tiffany was dangerous. He didn't want to believe it, but now, he was thinking that they may be right. Yet, Tiffany was always nice to him. It always seemed silly that someone as nice as her would be someone so wicked and dastardly.

He heard two inkling girls gossiping, their loud voices projecting through the echoing hallway. He turned into an indigo squid and hid underneath the water fountain. They stopped in front of him, and now, he was only seeing their legs. One wore leggings, while the other was wearing a skirt, with pants underneath it.

"Naomi's gonna get dumped for sure," one of them sneered. "You can't trust the Vigilante. He keeps cheating on everyone. _Everyone._ I heard he's been cheating from the moment he started dating. He cheated on his first girlfriend for his first victim!"

"Then wouldn't that be his _second_ victim?" the other one corrected. "Girlfriend number one would be his first."

"But like, he dated her _before_ he became the Vigilante. Whatcha have to say to that?"

"...Yeah, you're right. Hey, did you know that Leah knows who the Vigilante is?"

"Leah? That art squid?"

"Yeah? People say she grabbed his glasses and almost broke them, allowing her to see his true colors. And get this—apparently he goes to our school!"

"Really? Here, in West Inkopolis High School? He seems too fresh for school."

"Yeah, no doubts about it. He's a junior."

"Well, duh, he's 17. Y'know anyone who looks like him?"

"I dunno, I don't know a lot of juniors. If he was in our grade, on the other hand... Then I definitely could've scoped him out."

"Roy Blacktip from the baskfishball team has red hair, doesn't he?"

"...Yeah, now that I think about it. But the Vigilante has lighter skin. And a completely different hairstyle."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Know anyone with five tentacles?"

"No. What happened to tentacle number six, anyways?"

"My friend told me he cut it off and stuffed it into the mouth of one of his victims. She didn't go to school for a week straight from ink poisoning!"

"Yikes, that's _bad_. So not only is he toxic personality-wise, he's literally toxic!"

"Girl, anyone can get ink poisoning if you drink too much of it."

"Oh, yeah..."

Beneath the water fountain, Inigo shuffled his tentacles, shrinking further against the wall. Heavy emotions weighed down on him, threatening to overwhelm him. What were these girls saying? The rumors weren't even true! _Then why do I feel horrible?_ In the back of his mind, something was laughing at him.

 _You are a horrible person,_ said a more twisted version of his own voice. _Who cares if the rumors are false? Your actions spawned them._

 _No,_ he argued silently. _The_ Vigilante's _actions spawned them._

 _But you're the Vigilante,_ countered the voice. _And he is you._

 _The Vigilante is me..._ It was true, yet he always liked envisioning himself as a stronger, more heroic version of himself. As the Vigilante, he felt unstoppable. No one could stop him, and no one would get in his way. His dream had come true, and Tiffany was to thank. He had all the girls he wanted.

But...

The girls stopped talking, and the one wearing leggings leaned down to check under the water fountain. "Hey, who's this?" she asked.

"Uh..." Inigo trailed off.

"Was he _eavesdropping_ on us?!" the girl with the skirt gasped. "Lemme have him!"

The girl with leggings reached a fair-skinned hand towards him, grabbing him. She tossed it in the other girl's hands, and she proceeded to punt him down the hallway. He crashed into some lockers, his world spinning as he transformed back into a kid.

"Inigo?" a masculine voice called. In his blurry vision, a red-and-tan shape loomed over him. Roy? "What are you doing?!"

"...I think I'm seeing stars," the boy with the ponytail muttered.

* * *

After school, Inigo immediately headed towards the Deca Tower to change clothes. Today, he would be the Vigilante. He was sure of it. He entered the changing room and pulled out his hero costume and tinted shades. His ink color shifted from indigo to red, matching Tiffany's ink color. After he put his shirt and shoes away, he immediately grabbed his roller and walked out. Standing boldly, he put his free hand on his hip.

"Don't fear," he announced, "the Vigilante is here!"

A few inklings cast him strange glances before returning to what they were doing before. The boy with the ponytail lowered his hand, and he slumped over, frowning. _What is wrong today?_

He continued walking through the tower, only to garner few responses. And the responses he had gotten were negative. Ignoring them, he marched on. Once he entered the square, he put away his roller and started parading around it, popping up in front of any inkling girl hanging about. They merely screamed in terror and ran away.

"Vigilante!" someone finally called. _Finally._ He turned around to see a pale-skinned girl with hair styled in a double bun running up to him. "It's you!" She wrapped her arm around him, much to his discomfort. "Will you date me?"

"Uh..." He freed his arm from her grasp. "Sorry, I'm dating someone else."

"What?!" she cried. Immediately, tears welled up in her silver eyes. "The Vigilante doesn't like me...!"

"Don't cry!" he tried to comfort her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said, "I'll just date you another time."

She sniffed. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know how long that'll be, or if I even remember, but..." He shrugged. "Just find me when you find out I'm single again."

"Alright!" She straightened and put a hand over her chest. "I won't let you down!" She skipped away, leaving the Vigilante alone again.

His indigo eyes drifted over to where the Rainbow Squids were sitting. His friends were chatting away, not seeing to notice him. As far as he knew, only Roy and Octavia knew who he truly was. He figured that Alexis might know, too, considering her relationship to Via. His attention then drifted over to Octa Prisma, who were also talking, though he didn't know what they were saying. Iris glanced at him and grumbled to herself, looking away.

The Vigilante turned away from the Crust Bucket and started headed towards the direction of Grizzco Industries. He wished he could do a Salmon Run, but it wasn't hiring right now. The doors were barred shut. An inkling was banging on the door, demanding to be let in. Of course, no one answered. He turned his attention away from Grizzco's and started heading down the alleyway, which led to an open street. As he walked down it, he felt icy glares shoot towards him, dread dripping into him with every step. Keeping his façade up, he gulped and tried to ignore them.

"The Vigilante..." someone gasped.

The boy with the ponytail looked over towards the source of the voice. On the other side of the street, a betta fish had her mouth gaping, eyes wide. Once they made eye contact, she scrambled away, never to be seen again. Turning his attention away from the spot where she had once been, he continued walking. Grey clouds hung over the city of Inkopolis, casting a dreary shadow over it. Everyone's mood seemed to be dampened. Perhaps that was why everyone was so hostile to the Vigilante, he reasoned.

He couldn't take the glares anymore and gripped the side of a building. There was a gap next to it that led to an alleyway. A few clotheslines were draped between the two buildings, the garments swaying towards the street in the breeze. Looking around first, the Vigilante slinked into the corridor, disappearing into the shadows. He walked through it, his feet heavy. The alleyway opened up into more alleyways, creating a maze among the buildings. He navigated them until he came across a dead end. A blue dumpster rested against the side of the water, some stickers covering it. Some empty tin cans laid around it, and a few feet in front of it was a puddle, reflecting patterns the clouds made.

The Vigilante approached the puddle, looking down at his reflection. Instead of seeing himself, however, he saw something else. The reflection shared his features, yet at the same time, they were foreign to him. A tired fair-skinned inkling, with red tentacles that drooped downwards. He could see a hint of dark circles under the shades he wore. The tinted lens made it impossible to tell his eye color. All the while he was smiling. But that smile quickly fell.

 _That's not me,_ he realized. _But..._ He waved a hand. The reflection followed. _It is. It isn't. It is._ His mind was in turmoil, unsure of what to make of the reflection. He gripped his headset and threw them off, splashing into the puddle and banging against the dumpster. Once the water settled, he looked at the reflection once more. It was still the same, minus the lack of the hero headset replica.

He fell to his knees, mortified. His hands trembling, he took off his tinted shades, set them on the ground, and gave one final look at the puddle. Indeed, he looked like himself again, but something was not right. His expression and posture looked foreign to him. Panicking, he took the hair tie off, revealing his cowlick and causing two tentacles to fall to his shoulders. He took out his normal hair tie and put it up again, making his cowlick visible once more. Nothing happened.

Something was wrong.

He thought back to earlier, to the inkling girls gossiping about the Vigilante. The way they described him, it was like he was a monster, waiting for its next prey. And deep down, he knew they were right. To everyone, the Vigilante had been a horrible person.

And Inigo was the Vigilante.

The fair-skinned inkling put his hands between the puddle, leaning over to look at his face. He bit his tongue, trying to hold back tears. His grip on the concrete tightened, his vision becoming watery.

"Caarrrrp," he swore under his breath, his breathing becoming heavier. He blinked, tears stinging his eyes as they dripped into the puddle, distorting the reflection. One of his hands rolled into a fist and pounded against the hard ground, sending vibrations through the small body of water. Eventually, he succumbed himself to the tears, and collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

He didn't know how long he had pitifully stayed in the same place, curled around the puddle. He took off his hair tie at one point, tentacles draping down once more. He glanced down at his reflection. Tears stained his cheeks, and red was no longer present in it. His ink color had shifted back to indigo. For now, he was simply Inigo, but at the same time, he was the Vigilante. He was supposed to be the Vigilante, anyways.

Eventually, he heard a voice.

"Vigilante?"

He opened his eyes to see a girl, standing at the end of the alleyway. His indigo eyes glanced up at her face. Naomi.

 _Carp, I can't let her see me like this._ "Go away." The demand came out weaker than he would have liked. "I'm fine." He rolled over, facing away from her.

"Do you think I'd leave you at a time like this?!" she refused. "Something's wrong; I can feel it."

"I said, go away," he pressed, his voice a little stronger. He rubbed his eyes, still wet from crying.

"Vigilante, no!"

"I said, _GO AWAY!_ " His voice breaking, he sat up and faced her, eyebrows furrowed. "Cod, just get away!" he sobbed. "You can't see me like this. You can't..."

Naomi still stood lax, though her expression turned into one of bewilderment. "Inigo Sable?" she asked, causing him to look up at her yellow-green eyes. "Is that you?" Inigo only nodded, slumping over. He heard footsteps get closer to him, and he then noticed her kneeling down to look at him. Frowning, she wiped a tear from his eye. Her hand felt warm on his cheeks, which had gone cold as the tear streaks cooled. She then wrapped herself around him, hugging him.

"I'm here," she whispered in his ear. "I'm here."

Smiling, he dug his face into her shoulder. They remained in the alleyway for even longer as Inigo calmed down, his despair leaving him. He didn't want to let go. How long had it been since he had a hug as intimate as this one? He couldn't remember. He put a hand on her back, fingers brushing her tentacles.

"I like you," he whispered at long last. "I really do. But I didn't want to admit it for real."

"You sounded sincere every time you said 'I love you,'" she commented. "I wouldn't be able to tell." She sighed, and then she said, "I like you too."

His heart skipped a beat. He didn't say anything in return; he simply tightened his grip. Eventually, the two broke the embrace and rose to their feet, staring into each other's eyes for the first time. Naomi picked up his headset and glasses and returned them to him. He put the headset back on, but he hesitated putting the shades back on as well.

"I don't want to be the Vigilante anymore," Inigo admitted. A weight lifted off of his chest at the confession. Just how long had he been wanting to say that? "But I can't stop."

"Why not?" Naomi asked.

"I promised my boss I would find a girl for her," he explained. "And I will. I don't want to let her down."

She shook her head. "I don't like the sound of that."

"I don't even know what she wants with her," he added. "But, I'm sure it's for a good reason. She's never done anything bad to me."

Naomi put an olive-skinned hand on her forehead and laughed. "Aight. If you say so."

"But, now that you know my identity..." Inigo frowned. "...I don't think we can keep dating."

"Huh? Why not?"

"If we start acting lovey-dovey at school, then people will notice. And people are bound to find out that I'm the Vigilante. I don't want that." _Neither does Tiffany._

"What if we date in secret?" she suggested. "Just the two of us, after you announce the break-up. We're gonna have a lot of fun, right? We already did! You not being the Vigilante isn't going to change anything."

"That's not a bad idea. We just have to be careful."

"Yeah!"

Inigo put his tinted shades back on and smiled. "Be safe out there."

"You too!"

He waved as Naomi walked away, leaving him along in the alleyway. With a smile on his face, he followed her out, acting as if nothing had ever happened in the darkness.

* * *

A few days later, Inigo was back in Tiffany's apartment, staring right into her dark eyes. Her legs were crossed, her hands clasped together on her lap. She kept a neutral expression, making it impossible to tell what she was truly feeling. He sunk into the cushioned chair, curious on what she had to say.

"You broke up with her at last," she started. "And yet, no one has seen you with a new girlfriend. Is this another one of your 'strategies?'"

Inigo nodded. "I-I thought that playing hard-to-get would make me-" He said the word with hesitance, his voice lowering a little. "-more desirable."

"I see... Why not just continue with the first strategy?"

"No matter who I was dating, the result would be the same." He looked down at his hands. "The girl you're looking for didn't pop up, and she wouldn't pop up if I'd kept doing that."

She snickered. "What a slippery girl, she is." Louder, she asked, "What will you do if that strategy fails, too?"

"I'll just go back to the first strategy," he declared. "And alternate between them."

"Hmm..." Tiffany put a pale hand on her chin. "Maybe she likes girls?"

Inigo blinked. "...I'm not growing my hair out."

"I'm not saying you had to."

The indigo-haired boy shook his head. "Look, Tiffany, I want to ask you something."

Her eyes widened, surprised. "Oh? That's rare. What is it?"

He gulped, bracing himself for her reaction. "W-What are you going to do after we find the girl you're looking for?"

Tiffany smiled. "Didn't I tell you? I just want to talk to her brother again. He's been avoiding me, and I want to reconnect with him."

"Oh. I'm sorry..." he apologized. "I forgot." _But did she ever tell me?_

"Boy, I thought you had a better memory than this. Best for you to write it down somewhere. Like in your phone."

He pulled out his cellphone and started typing the reason why in his notes. "Doing it now."

"Good."

After he finished, Inigo rose from the chair and walked over to Tiffany. "I'll be going, now." She nodded, and he started walking towards the door, placing his hands on the handle.

"Oh, and Inigo?"

He looked over his shoulder to see Tiffany staring over at him.

"You know what the consequences will be if you're lying."

Giving a slight nod, he waved and left the apartment, unusually nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! That's done and over with. Ever since I decided to continue the plot with the Vigilante into Season 3, I've been thinking about this scene a lot. It feels a little less emotional than what I wished for it to be, but I hope it still has some impact on the reader, seeing Inigo so distraught. ...I can also get rid of that "skipping a lot of chapters for now" note I have for the next Inigo chapter, which I wanted to get a head-start on when I started writing this season. Trust me, Inigo can finally get a break next time he has a point-of-view chapter. The next chapter is considerably happier than this one, though there's possibly going to be a downer ending. I don't know, a lot can happen between now and next week.


	73. Lunch Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rainbow Squids get a lot of visitors during lunch.

_Perry's PoV_

In the morning, Perry began crumpling up some of his blank notebook paper, aiming to score them in the trash can next to the door to the classroom. Sticking a tongue out, he closed an eye for better aim, and he tossed one. It missed. Again, he threw a paper ball. It also missed.

"Try opening both eyes," someone behind him suggested. He turned around to see a one-eyed urchin, his hair pulled back into a spikey bun. "Trust me, I know. I don't have depth perception."

Perry turned back to face the trash can. "Whatever you say, Un." Opening both of his purple eyes, he tossed a third ball into the bin, this one scoring. He stood straight up from his seat, throwing two fists up into the air. "Booyah! Ya see that, class? I made it!"

"No one cares, Sculpin!" a goby yelled from the other side of the room. "Sit your fancy-pants butt back down!"

"I agree," added the teacher. "Settle down, Perry." Her white eyes narrowed, bringing a fin-like hand up to her face. "You don't want to get sent to the principal's office again, do you?"

"Sorry, Miss Rosetail," he apologized to the betta fish.

"Apology taken. Now, don't stir up any trouble again," she instructed.

He sat down, and the day passed on without further incident. He sat down and listened to the lectures, his eyes droopy as the words spoken from his teachers' mouths became nothing more than gargles. It took his willpower to stay awake. It seemed like forever before lunch arrived, giving him a break. He stood up from his seat in language class, stretching. He walked to the cafeteria, where he sat down with the rest of his friends.

"Is it just me, or were classes _really_ long today?" Octavia asked. "They just talked the entire time!"

"It's National Lecture Day, remember?" Bonnie replied. "All the teachers have to give a lecture, whenever they like it or not."

"That's a _stupid_ holiday," Roy grumbled, crossing his arms. "I'd rather eat a salmonid alive than listen to lectures all day."

"On the bright side," Yuri started, "only a few more hours of this, and we'll be right back outside, and then we can do a bunch of turf wars!"

Roy groaned, digging his face into his hand. Perry stood up and walked over to him, snickering. He placed his hands on his shoulders, causing the red-haired inkling to turn around and strike his arm with a fist. The purple-haired inkling cried out in surprise, rubbing where he had been hit.

"Perry!" he snapped. "You dogfish!"

"What? Thought you'd enjoy it," he shrugged off. "You like haunted houses."

"Yeah, but I know it's coming then."

"Guess that's your payback for eating salmonids alive," Octavia snickered.

"I never said I did that!" Roy fired back.

"Yeah, he wouldn't even be here if he ate them," the dark-skinned boy agreed.

"I wonder what live salmonid tastes like..." Inigo pondered.

"Inigo?!" the tan-skinned boy gasped. "Why is every squid against me today..."

"Like really bad sushi," Perry followed up on the fair-skinned inkling's remark.

Roy groaned, and the other Rainbow Squids started to laugh. Eventually, he gave a half-hearted laugh himself, a smile tugging at his lips. They were so caught up in the moment that they didn't notice a certain red-haired inkling walking up to him. It took until he punched Perry lightly on the shoulder that the purple-haired boy turned around to see...

"Wyatt!" he exclaimed. "How ya doing?"

"Wyatt I am," the boy confirmed. "I'm doing splat-tacular, thank you."

"You're not in a bad mood?" Bonnie marveled. She was right—ever since he and Naomi stopped dating, Roy's cousin had been unusually grumpy.

"Well, guess what?" he started, donning the cocky demeanor Perry knew him for. "The Vigilante and Naomi broke up! I can try to date her again!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Inigo immediately tried to quell him. "We know Naomi doesn't want to date you again."

"Besides, you already settled it with her," Yuri pointed out.

"Where was that again?" Perry wondered out loud.

"Coral Rings," Roy deadpanned. "It was at Coral Rings."

"Doesn't mean her feelings have changed since then!" Wyatt boldly declared. "I'm gonna ask her again, right now!"

"Wait!" Inigo called. "Think this through!" His words fell on deaf ears, as the other tan-skinned inkling was marching up towards the entrance of the cafeteria. A few minutes later, Wyatt returned, pouting. His ink color was shifting from Roy's red to a color that matched his eyes—sea green.

"Lemme guess," Octavia started, "she rejected you."

Wyatt nodded. "Maybe you should ask her Roy," he suggested. "Might respond to a squid that looks like me, but isn't me."

 _"No,"_ Roy replied, eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not gonna get involved in your love schtick."

He frowned. "If you insist," he sighed. He clenched a fist. "...the Vigilante," he muttered, though Perry didn't catch the first part. He walked away, leaving the Rainbow Squids be.

However, they were not alone for long, as shortly after he left, Fable bounded up to them, her hands behind her back as she leaned forward. Huge, navy eyes looked down on them, and her short hair was tied lamely into a ponytail today. Her attention seemed to be directed towards Inigo today. The indigo-haired boy's mouth had fallen slightly, showing his teeth.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Fable!" Yuri exclaimed. "You're back from your vacation!"

"Yeah, now I'm all cooked!" she exclaimed. She rolled up the sleeve of her sweater, revealing a tan that wasn't obvious at first glance. "All thanks to the power of tanning lotion!"

"Wonder how tan Geneva will be when she gets back," Perry brought up. "Hopefully she wasn't burnt to a crisp. Or ran dry of ink."

"I feel like it's more likely each passing day," Inigo sighed.

"Oh, yeah, I came to talk to Inigo," Fable blurted after he finished. "About..."

"About what?" Roy snapped. "Spit it out already."

"My theory!" she exclaimed. Pointing a finger at him, she declared, "I think you're the Vigilante!"

Inigo nearly fell out of his chair, surprised. "Wha-? Huh? Why?"

"Well, I did some research." She pulled out her phone and displayed a clip of the Vigilante talking on the screen. She pressed play, and the Vigilante started to talk about his interests. "He said he likes Salmon Run, and you like Salmon Run. He also said he's on a team, and you're on a team. Plus, you wear a ponytail like him, your voice is deep like his, and you have the same skin color as him. There! That's the proof."

"That's just a coincidence, the physical part," he defended. "By the way, it's not rare to be on a team. And most squids like Salmon Run."

"Yeah, I think you're digging a little too into this," Bonnie agreed.

"There's no way Inigo can be the Vigilante!" Perry added. "He's too nice to be that jerk."

"Hm?" Inigo lifted his head. "You squids think I'm...nice?"

"Yeah-ah," the purple-haired boy affirmed, adjusting his hat. "What's the doubt for?"

The indigo-haired boy fell silent, eyelids drooping. His phone then started to ring. He took it out and looked at it. He gestured for them to wait and ran out of the cafeteria, accepting the call. Everyone watched him leave. Perry sneaked a chip from his lunch and put it in his mouth, biting down on it.

"Tastes like the ocean," he commented. "Roy's food is better."

"You're just gonna trash on him while he's in the bathroom or something?" Octavia criticized. "Wow, Perry, wow."

"Food and kindness are two completely different things," he countered.

"Fine, you got me. What, you gonna steal my food now?"

"I've been in your house, Via. So much wasabi there, I felt like I was gonna pass out."

"So...that's a no."

"Exactly."

"Enough food talk," Fable interrupted the two. "Ya know what this means? Inigo's defensiveness proves he's the Vigilante!"

"Yeah, and my house having a lot of wasabi proves I'm an Octarian," the wavy-haired inkling said with biting sarcasm. "Point is, that doesn't prove anything."

"Yeah, you can't just assume things," Bonnie finished.

Fable sighed and put her phone away. "No beating you, is there?" she admitted.

"That's Via and Bon-Bon for ya," Yuri said, snapping his fingers.

"Well, I'm off." Fable waved. "Bye bye!" She skipped off, and not long after she left, Inigo returned, sitting back down in his seat next to Roy. He started eating his chips, not noticing that it had been tampered with. As Perry was about to sit back down, he noticed something green, poking out from the chair Inigo was sitting in. He grabbed the green thing and tried pulling it off of him.

"Ngh!" Inigo was pulled back as well. He looked over his shoulder. "Perry, what the-"

"Sit still!" he complained. "Almost got it!"

The green thing slipped off relatively easily after that, and Perry examined it. He soon found eyes, rattled from the incident. The blob then grew in size, turning into a dazed Giovanni. He had fallen out of Perry's hands and gripped his arms with gloved hands before he could fall completely to the floor.

The purple-haired inkling chuckled. "Woo, that takes me back."

Gio nodded, flustered. "Y-Yes. ...November, was it? It feels like years ago now."

Inigo tensed. "Were you...eavesdropping on me?"

The octoling took a deep breath and stood up. "Yes," he admitted, "though it was unintentional. I heard you, and I took advantage of it."

"Old habits splat hard," Octavia giggled.

"Worry not," he assured. "I will keep it a secret." The indigo-haired inkling let out a sigh of relief.

"So, Gio," Yuri spoke up. "Any other reason you came here?"

"Not particularly," the octoling replied, putting a hand on his head. "I just wanted to see you."

"Ya sure there's no ulterior motive?" Roy questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"I am sure," he replied, putting his hands up. "I just want to have friendly chat." The Rainbow Squids simply stared at him. They looked between each other, then at Giovanni. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. "Come on," he muttered. "My lunch is getting cold."

"Uh..." Perry started. "...Cold food gives you shivers?"

"We don't know what to talk to you about," Octavia pointed out. "Like, you usually have a reason, so it's weird. And really awkward."

"Then..." Giovanni smiled. Not smirked, smiled. "I suppose I should thank you."

"For what?" Inigo asked.

"For showing me how strong inklings can really be." The green-haired octoling bowed. "Without you, then I would still be stuck in Octo Valley, unwilling to leave."

"Ya mean I was the thing that brought you out of Octo Valley?" Perry inquired, excited. "Even though ya tried to splat me and Alexis and you hated us back then?"

Giovanni sighed. "I do not like you, but I do not hate you, either. I am just expressing gratitude." He lifted his head, staring at Perry with green eyes. "I have beaten you before. I will beat you again." He stood up straight, now looking at all the inklings. "What I did learn, however, is that strength in battle is not the only thing that makes inklings strong. It is the heart that makes them strong. When I first formed Octa Prisma, it was only to improve strength that could beat inklings. Now, I see how strong your friendship is.

"We were friends, but it was weak. I realized how upset you were over Geneva leaving you. Then I saw your determination to find out the identity of the Vigilante. Octa Prisma does not have that. We were disconnected. It seems that my friends have not realized this yet."

"Wow..." Bonnie gasped. "That was deeper than I thought."

Now, Giovanni was smirking like he usually did. "Next time you battle Octa Prisma, we will be stronger than ever before. Prepare." He walked away before any of the Rainbow Squids could say another word.

"Has Gio really become a better octoling?" Octavia wondered out loud. "Yeah, he's pretty impulsive, but he does seem a little different than he was back when we first met him."

"I'm still skeptical," Inigo admitted. "Words don't speak volumes here."

"Yeah, he has to actually do good before we can believe him," agreed the blue-haired girl.

"Hey, the fact that he actually said that to us is fresh!" Yuri tried to lighten the mood. "Surely that shows something."

"Well, how 'bout we celebrate with a toast." Perry sat back down and picked up his water bottle. "Three cheers for Gio becomin' a good person!"

"Yeah!" They bumped their drinks together and continued eating their lunches at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't go with the downer ending with this chapter. Just a happy one. And it's not a very long chapter today, I know. I mainly wanted to give you guys an update on some of the school characters. Especially Fable, since we haven't seen her since Season 2, I believe. And Octa Prisma, since they haven't had a major role in a chapter in a while. Don't worry, I'll give you plenty of Octa Prisma content in the next few chapters. Next chapter has Oscar and Yvonne, the chapter after that has Peyton, and the chapter after that one has Brayden and Iris. That's the plan, anyways. Anyways, we are officially halfway through Season 3! A lot of things are going to happen in the second half, so get ready.
> 
> ...The one-year anniversary of "The Rainbow Squids" being posted on AO3 is coming up, isn't it? I'll draw something to celebrate it. I'll link it in the next chapter, since the anniversary is Wednesday, and the story updates on Sundays.


	74. Breaking Down Barriers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two of his teammates become unavailable, Roy sets out to find new teammates for league battles.

_Roy's PoV_

"C'mon, push!"

"Go, go, go!"

"Almost there!"

Roy carried the Rainmaker, running as fast as his legs could take him. An alarm sounded, marking that the match had gone into overtime. He was stopped in his tracks when a girl with a Splat Roller jumped out in front of him, determined to splat him. She raised her weapon, and before he knew it, pain shot through his body as he was crushed under the weight of red-orange ink. The alarm stopped. Roy's team had lost the match.

When Roy respawned, he threw his Luna Blaster to the ground, growling. _Stupid! Why didn't anyone see her?_

"Woah there, tiger shark," Perry tried to calm him down, sitting on the ledge of the box the goal for the Rainmaker stood on. "You're not gonna lose your rank."

"I know," he acknowledged, crossing his arms, "but when you lose five matches in a row, it stings like a manta ray." He shook his head. "Enough of that! Where were you?"

"The roller splatted me, duh," he replied. "I splatted the charger, then that girl snuck up on me."

"Bon-Bon didn't get her? Or Alexis?"

"Nah. Guess they got splatted, too."

"Well, if they _did_ get splatted, they left long after you showed up."

The two boys sighed, slumping down. Roy picked his Luna Blaster back up and started toying with it. He pressed the trigger, but nothing came out—the match's end deactivated it. He made a small noise of dissatisfaction and lifted his head, looking out in the distance. He just knew Judd and Li'l Judd arrived, making their final jurisdiction on the match. He thought about standing up and walking over to see them, but it was foiled when he saw some turquoise and red-orange trails, streaking the blue sky.

"Let's go," he told Perry. "They're waitin' for us."

The two boys turned into squids and super-jumped back to the Deca Tower, where their statistics were shown. Pressing a button on the interface would show the map. The spread of ink was relatively even, though the Rainbow Squids' team had an edge on the red-orange team. Only making it more shameful that Roy and his friends lost.

"Wow, Roy," Bonnie marveled. "That's a lot of splats!"

The tan-skinned boy looked at his stats. Twenty-one splats. He smiled.

"Not bad," he muttered.

" _Not bad?!_ " Alexis cried out. "Dude, that's the most splats out of everyone!"

"Nah, he's still salty that he lost," Perry snickered.

"Saltier than the sea, aren't you?" the girl with the Splat Roller remarked, a smile on her fair-skinned face.

"Shut up!" Roy snapped at her.

"Anyways, we're going," said one of the boys on the other team. A Firefin Splat Charger was slung over his broad shoulders. "See ya." The group left the lobby, allowing the Rainbow Squids to plan their next match. Their league power had now appeared, listed next to the weapons they had equipped.

"1651?!" Roy cried out. "That's not good at all!"

"I mean, it's better than I thought," Alexis tried to cheer him up, scratching the back of her head. "I mean, this is the first time I've done League with you squids. So, who am I to talk?"

"I think we can get higher," Bonnie remarked.

"Too bad you have that eye doctor appointment," Perry pointed out.

"Oh! I almost forgot about that." She ran out of the room. "Thanks for reminding me Perry! I don't wanna be late!"

"Great..." Roy groaned. "Our league power's gonna be reset."

"You and Alexis can do pairs," the pale-skinned boy suggested. "I gotta go to some fancy dinner party. Sucks, but I don't really have a choice."

"Not you too!" he whined.

"What? I told you before we started all of this..."

He sighed. "...Oh yeah. Have fun."

"Don't think I will, but OK." Picking up his Sloshing Machine, Perry started to exit the room. "Buh bye."

"Bye!" Alexis called, waving. After he was gone, it was only her and Roy in the room. "What now?" she asked, looking up at him.

He patted the short inkling's head. "I'll find some squids," he announced. "Just ya wait."

The tan-skinned boy poked his head out of the lobby door, examining the crowd of inklings in the Deca Tower. Many were gathering near the ranked and regular battle lobbies, and in comparison, there were notably less around the league battle lobbies. Not many of them looked particularly friendly.

"Roy!" someone then called. Startling him, Oscar and Yvonne had popped out in front of him, seemingly from behind the elevator. "You are doing the battles of league?" the former asked.

"Y-Yeah," he replied. "Wanna join us?"

 _Carp! Why did I say that?_ he immediately regretted.

The two octolings were taken aback, but soon enough, they nodded. "Yes," Yvonne agreed. "We are- were to go to do pairs, but we will do the team now."

"Great," Roy said. "Come on in." He stepped out of the way to let them enter. When Alexis saw them, she jumped, scrambling against the wall.

"Octa Prisma!" she cried out. "What are they doing here?!"

Oscar frowned. "You no want us?"

"No! I want you here!" the tan-skinned boy spoke up, throwing his arm out to block the exit. "Alexis's just grumpy, that's all!"

"It's fine," the short-haired inkling assured them. "I just didn't expect you."

"Let us pick weapons!" Yvonne announced, pointing a finger up in the air, putting her other hand on her hip. "I claim Hydra Splatling!"

"That is the weapon you use," the boy with the afro pointed out, crossing his arms, to the point where he was practically hugging himself.

"So, we're just using the weapons we've been using?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah," Roy confirmed, pulling out his Luna Blaster. "Yvonne's pretty fresh, from what I've seen. She'll keep us covered."

The dark-skinned girl's eyes lit up. "You think I am the fresh? Yay!" She giggled. "Many of the thank you!"

"Uh, you're welcome." Roy turned to the interface that showed their league power and weapons and pressed a button, confirming that they were ready. "Let's go."

"Alright." Alexis rolled one of her dualies in her hand. "We'll outperform ya," she boasted, looking over at the octolings. "Just you wait."

"You want to be beating us?" Yvonne teased, leaning on her splatling. "But we just want the fun!"

"Hmph." The short-haired inkling crossed her arms, nothing more said between them as the elevator continued to descend. Suddenly, the elevator stopped, and on the interface, it displayed that the group had been matched up with a team. Roy didn't recognize any of the names—in fact, the names displayed on the screen mostly comprised of symbols. He sighed and turned into a squid, sinking into the grate that had opened up beneath his feet.

Instead of Port Mackerel like the last match, they were now on the other stage in this rotation—Camp Triggerfish. Roy's second least favorite stage, next to Blackbelly Skatepark. Flags flew in the air, totem poles shot out of the ground, and the Rainmaker glowed golden from the bridge that connected the two parts of the map. Readying his Luna Blaster as soon as he transformed into a kid, Roy launched off of the map, swimming in the ink trail Oscar's Inkbrush was leaving behind. They quickly got to the middle of the map before the other team, destroying the barrier as well. Oscar grabbed it and began to charge up the powerful weapon, creating an explosion some feet in front of him. It also created a path for the octoling to swim in, though the glow marked his position. Before he could get far, however, someone shot him, splatting him in one it. Looking up at the walls, Roy saw an olive-skinned inkling with garden gear, aiming a Splat Charger at the floor. His turquoise eyes noticed him, and he swung around, charging up his charger once more.

Roy jumped out of the way of the shot, the blue ink brushing his side. He gripped his arm, and with that hand, he tried shooting up at him, jumping up to get more range. The charger-user stumbled backwards, falling into the area behind the wall. Using this chance, the tan-skinned boy swam ahead, scouting the area for opponents. However, he had to ink the area, forcing him to pop out and shoot ahead. What he didn't notice was someone approaching from behind him, slashing his back with a brush and splatting him.

When he respawned, he super-jumped to Yvonne, who was on the edge of the wall overlooking the bridge. Her hands were steady, spreading the ink across the area. Finally, he could see who attacked him earlier—a funny-looking inkling with light brown skin was running over to them, donning an oddly-colored Octobrush. _Wait a second..._

"Maya?" Yvonne muttered, tilting her head. She began to speak in a difference language, making her words unintelligible. Maya stopped running as well, throwing her Octobrush over her shoulder, speaking to the dark-skinned octoling in the same language. The two seemed to be docile for now, until Roy's teammate jumped off of the wall and used a Splashdown against their opponent, creating a vortex of yellow ink. A round ghost floated away where Maya had once stood, marking that she had splatted. She shrugged and started walking towards the exposed Rainmaker.

Before she could reach it, someone on the other team grabbed it, the inkling girl now running towards Yvonne with the Rainmaker. However, grabbing it did not seem to be Yvonne's intention, as she stopped anyways, blocking the girl from using the bridge. The barrels of her splatling were spinning as she prepared a charge, though she quickly released it, splatting the girl and freeing the Rainmaker from her grasps.

"What?" Roy gasped. "Hydra splatlings don't charge that quickly!" he exclaimed.

The girl with the pigtails looked over her shoulder and winked. "Partial charge," she explained.

"Oh, yeah..." he sighed.

Oscar sped by him again, running up to the Rainmaker. Unfortunately, the boy with the Splat Charger had appeared again, squinting. Yvonne cocked her head up, and she started charging up her splatling again. With one shot, the boy splatted Oscar, but a few seconds later, he was splatted by Yvonne herself. After he splatted, she directed the bullets to the Rainmaker's shield, blotting it with yellow before it exploded.

"I no do know why Oscar be stupid now," the dark-skinned octoling commented. "He usually smarter."

"Doesn't matter," Roy said, tightening his grip on his Luna Blaster. "We have a chance." He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, grabbing Alexis's attention. She was on the bridge that dropped off into the other team's base. Some blue ink dripped off of her clothes. He pointed to the Rainmaker, in which she grabbed it. He swam up ahead, running up with incline leading to the goal. Oscar super-jumped to him, though it was rather clumsily, as he bumped into Roy, knocking the two of them over.

"Agh!" the inkling cried. "What-" He looked into Oscar's orange eyes, which were panicked.

He stood back up and began apologizing profusely. "Sorry! Sorry! Did not mean to knock you over! Nor get you mad!"

"I'm not mad," he grumbled, getting up as well. "You just surprised me."

"Oh..." The octoling with an afro relaxed, lowering his Inkbrush.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," he muttered before running away towards the goal, cheeks red with embarrassment.

 _What was that about?_ he wondered. He recalled Yvonne's earlier statement. _Does he...?_ He shook his head. _I can't assume things._ Roy ran down the incline, where ink was biting at Alexis's ankles. She danced around it, but regardless, she was set on making it to the goal.

"Oh, no you don't!" Roy jumped in front of the bronze-skinned girl and dashed towards her attackers, aiming his blaster. He jumped over the inkrail and fired it, splatting the inkling girl from earlier, who wielded an N-ZAP '85. She let out a cry of surprise, her gear sinking into the ground as she burst into a puddle of yellow ink. "Who's next!" he declared, stomping a foot on the ground.

"That might be me." Maya ran up to him, lifting her Octobrush from the ground. She bent her knees, the bristles of the brush limp. Her black hair was tipped with blue, her eyes seemingly becoming a brighter blue. Tugging on her Annaki mask, she stood up straight and activated her special weapon. She launched into the air, blue ink trailing from the exhaust of the Inkjet. "Try this!"

A glob of ink hurled towards Roy, in which he swiftly dodged. In turn, Roy activated his own special—Baller. He circled her launching point, waiting for the Inkjet to expire. She shot at the Baller, though it was largely unaffected...until some of the wrapping on it burst, leaving Roy in what seemed to be a clear sac of ink. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he did not falter at all. In fact, it only made him more determined to splat Maya.

"Stop being a coward!" she snapped. "I thought you were Roy Blacktip! Always running ahead on baskfishball, I heard."

"I am not..." The Baller started to expand, yellow ink churning at his feet as his anger grew. "A coward!"

The Baller exploded, splatting Maya out of the air. Fueled by rage, Roy darted towards the enemy spawn point, inking the gate and climbing up it to see how his teammates were doing. A charger beam grew larger and larger, piercing Alexis through the back and splatting her as she climbed up the goal.

"You are not going to win today!" Roy roared, his vision turning red. Everything seemed to happen so quickly. He threw a bomb at the Rainmaker's shield, causing it to expand. He jumped to the wall and lunged at the charger, splatting him with a blast from his Luna Blaster. He stood up and looked behind him. Slowly, but surely, blue was covering the golden barrier. He swung around and approached whoever was attacking the Rainmaker. This inkling was male, with fair skin and hair slicked back. He was hurling ink at it with a Slosher Deco, not noticing Roy's arrival. Again, he splatted him, some of the ink from the small explosion affecting the Rainmaker's barrier. Without waiting for his teammates to join him, Roy popped the Rainmaker barrier by himself. He grabbed it and slammed it down on the goal, ending the game.

Roy leaned on the golden weapon, breathing heavily as he calmed down. Finally, they won. He turned around to see his teammates running up to him.

"Oh my cod, Roy!" Alexis exclaimed, eyes wide. "It's like I saw a whole new side of you today!"

"What?" The red-eyed inkling raised an eyebrow.

"You just _destroyed_ the other team single-handedly!" she elaborated.

"You scored by yourself, too," Oscar added.

"You need...a medal!" Yvonne walked up to him and kneeled down in front of him, drawing a trophy in the ink. "There!"

"Thanks," he said, disinterested. _I got mad again,_ he scolded himself. _I really need to control that better. ...But it did lead to me winning. Hmm..._

"Roy," the boy with the afro started, lifting his head. "I think...you are the most fresh today." He gave a small smile.

This time, the tan-skinned inkling blushed, and he looked away. "Again, t-thanks."

"Think we make a good team, yes?" He extended his hand, the sun reflecting off of his back.

Roy's red eyes trailed down to the bronze-skinned hand, and he turned to face him again, taking it. "Yes," he agreed. "We do."

"Ha," Alexis laughed, rubbing her arm. "I guess you two are good...for octolings."

"Of course we are!" Yvonne explained, jumping in front of the short-haired girl. "Me and Oscar, we a team!"

"Yes," the other octoling agreed. "We, uh, live together."

"Ah, so that explains it," the younger inkling realized. "You're basically the equivalent of Via and Bonnie in Octa Prisma. Or Yuri and Perry."

"They live together?" Oscar perplexed.

"Are you not the sister of Via?" Yvonne pointed out.

"I am!" she affirmed. "And no! They don't! They're just best friends!"

"I see..." The bronze-skinned boy turned around. "Oh, there Judd."

Indeed, Judd and Li'l Judd had arrived to judge the match. The two cats were standing on the edge of the gate, where no ink could be laid. They did their dance, and as expected, Judd struck out a yellow flag, marking Roy's team as the winner of the match. Upon sight of them, the tan-skinned inkling smiled.

"We might be on different teams," he remarked, "but that doesn't stop us from doing good together, does it?"

"Nope!" Yvonne chirped. "We did just as good!"

"Agreed," Oscar finished. "Agreed."

They lingered at Camp Triggerfish a few minutes longer than expected, admiring the blue sky, before finally jumping back to the Deca Tower for their next match, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry this chapter is a little late. That's what I get for procrastinating... Anyways, the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma, battling together?! Scandalous! Just kidding. They may be rivals, but they can be friends, no matter how much Alexis complains. This is kind of like the calm before the storm, but not really. I think that's more for the chapter after the next one. That's really when things will pick up. Only a few weeks, and big things will happen... I'm excited. Are you?


	75. Radio Frequency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peyton's walkie-talkie activates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice: This chapter contains content related to Octo Expansion.

_Octavia's PoV_

"It's June now," Bonnie muttered as she and Octavia walked through the courtyard. "The last month of school."

"I know! It's _been_ June!" Via exclaimed. "And do you also know what comes out in June?"

"What?"

"Off the Hook's new album! Exactly one week from today!"

"Oh my cod, I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me, Via!" The blue-haired inkling pulled out her phone. "I'm gonna write it down..."

"I'm so excited! I already love Nasty Majesty and Shark Bytes! I can't wait for the other songs they're gonna put out. Ooh, do you think they'll do a pure rap song? Or a super electronic one! Ooh, so many possibilites!"

"I like their current style. It's superfresh already, why change it?"

"Think of all the possibilities! They'll smash the charts and go above and beyond, higher than any super jump can be!"

"They've been smashing the charts, though. Nasty Majesty only got surpassed on Bubblify because Shark Bytes came out."

"And when's the last time someone's stayed in the top spot for so long?"

"Uh...I think it was when the Squid Sisters came out with Fresh Start? They were number one for two months, until Nasty Majesty came out, that is."

"Yeah, I guess you're-" Octavia paused when she felt something drop on her. She looked up at the sky. They had darkened since they exited the school, and now... "Ngh!" A raindrop fell into her eye. She flinched downwards, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing it. "Rain! Get inside!"

The two inkling girls ran back inside the school, just before the brunt of the rain hit the area. A steady beat battered the pavement, growing louder as the rain fell harder. They slammed the door shut, though some water had already managed to leak in, dampening the tiled floors. A few people gave them some odd looks before walking past them. A jellyfish walked up to them, but said nothing as they extended their arm towards the puddle, soaking it up. Via and Bonnie stepped away, bumping against the wall.

"Now I'm cold..." Bon-Bon complained, looking at the sleeves of her sweater.

"What? Even in this weather?" Octavia perplexed.

"Says the person wearing a jacket," she deadpanned.

"Hey, it's fresh!" she protested. "And I wanted to try something new!"

The beige-skinned girl smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You look good in it."

"Thanks." Octavia had bought the matcha down jacket during the sale at the Galleria back in April, though she didn't start wearing it regularly until the beginning of the week. She even changed it up today by putting on a pair of traditional sandals she had lying around. As they were no longer sold in stores, it was a nice memento from their days in Inkopolis Plaza, when the Squid Sisters still hosted the news. She even paid Murch a few super sea snails to change the main ability on it. Her friends liked the new outfit overall, though she missed wearing her sweater and orca hi-tops.

There was no use pondering on it, though. Class was going to start soon. The bell rang throughout the halls, and the students began scrambling to class.

"Already?!" Bonnie gasped. "I thought we had more time!"

The bronze-skinned girl giggled. "Time flies when you're having fun, am I right?"

"Yeah. Well, see you later."

"You, too!"

The two friends went their separate ways, Octavia heading to her next class. Time flew by as she worked. Considering that it was near the end of the school year, things were winding down. However, she wasn't done yet—finals were fast approaching. She was studying as much as she could, but she quickly fell to the desire to do ink battles.

Lunch arrived, though it was a relatively peaceful one. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The Rainbow Squids merely talked among themselves about the school day. After lunch ended, Octavia headed to her next class—gym, where Iris and Yvonne would be waiting. She walked into the humid locker room, stuffy with sweat and perfume. At the closest set of lockers, Iris stood with her back turned, taking off her t-shirt.

"Hey, Iris," Via greeted.

Iris crumpled her tee up into a ball and turned around to face the wavy-haired inkling. "Hello," she greeted back, her words unexcited.

"You get here pretty fast, huh?" she remarked.

The octoling crossed her arms. "I do not waste time like you."

"Wha? Don't you have friends?"

"Yes," she replied, "but talking to friends...no necessary."

"Then you'll have a pretty lonely life..."

Her indigo eyes narrowed. "You are distracting the me," she growled. "Go."

Via flinched and ran off to her own locker, where she instead talked to Yvonne about her day. Gym passed, and so did the rest of her classes. It was now the end of the day, where she could finally go home and relax. Or, she could go to Inkopolis Square and do some turf wars. Either one could work.

As she left the school with Alexis, however, something caught her eye. Someone, wearing an Annaki beret, sat on the railing of the steps, two purple tentacles poking out from beneath the beret. In her pale hands was not a phone, but something else...

"Isn't that Peyton?" Via asked her sister, causing both to stop.

The short-haired inkling squinted, looking over at the figure. "Yeah," she confirmed. "I bet she's up to no good."

"Don't say that!" the older inkling scolded. "She's done nothing to us!"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "We barely know her, Via. Who knows what's plotting?"

"Well, if you want to know what she's doing, why not ask?"

"Yeah, but what if she's actually planning a bad thing and she won't tell us straight out?"

"Alexis, I think you're just paranoid at this point."

"What?! No I'm not!"

"I'm asking her, straight-out." Octavia smirked. "Watch and learn."

Dropping the smugness, the wavy-haired inkling walked up to the octoling and stood next to her, looking over her shoulder. "Hey, Peyton."

"Ah!" Peyton jumped, nearly falling off of the railing. She turned into an octopus and slid into the grass, one tentacle wrapping around a walkie-talkie. When she reformed into a kid, it was in her hand. "H-Hi."

"Whatcha doin'?" She felt someone else standing by her now. She glanced over to see that Alexis had joined her.

"...Nothing," she replied, messing with a button on the walkie-talkie. The design was unfamiliar, but it clearly still had the same function. "I just be do things with this..." She motioned to the radio, saying the word in Octarian.

"A walkie-talkie?" Alexis corrected. "What, did Octa Prisma smuggle a bunch of them into the school?"

"No!" she snapped. "Well, yes, this 'walkie-talkie.' It only me. No one else."

"Who's on the other end?" a new voice joined in. Octavia turned around to see Inigo approaching them.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Via asked him.

"Hey, I only heard that part," he defended. "I just wanted to see what you were up to."

"I'm tellin' you, Inigo," Alexis stated, pointing a finger at him. "Peyton's doing somethin' bad with that!"

"No," Peyton corrected. "I telled you once." She messed with the buttons once more, and suddenly, static crackled from the walkie-talkie. "You hear?"

Inigo's eyes widened. "Yeah, I do."

"It's just static," Alexis pointed out. "What's so special about it?"

"It no do that since I hear from sister!" the purple-haired octoling enthused. "She must be the other end!" She began messing with the buttons some more, speaking in Octarian to the walkie-talkie. Only any name she spoke was intelligible. "Peony! ...Peyton!"

"Should we get someone else?" Via asked her friends. "Like another octoling?"

Inigo nodded. "One of them could translate. ...But the only octolings we know are Octa Prisma. They probably went home already."

"School just let out," Alexis noted. "You can probably still catch them."

"Oh, now you're a fan of this idea," Octavia deadpanned, crossing her arms.

"I'm...just curious!" she defended. "C'mon! Let's go!" The younger inkling grabbed Inigo's hand, much to his surprise, and dashed off into the parking lot with him.

While they were gone, Via turned her attention back to Peyton. She was mumbling to herself, panic trembling in her purple eyes. She messed with the buttons some more, the static growing louder or quieter as the settings on it changed. Still, no words were emitting from the radio.

Inigo and Alexis returned with the other members of Octa Prisma. "What is going on?" Giovanni asked. His green eyes drifted over to the pale-skinned girl. "...Peyton? I thought she did not go to the school."

"I not," Peyton corrected, glancing over at him. "I wait for Octa Prisma."

"Anyways, I heard something about a...walkie-talkie?" Brayden spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" She showed the octolings the radio. "I hear static!"

"Think it is your sister?" Yvonne asked, her hands held close to her chest.

"I think there a way to confirm," Oscar spoke up. "Connect to a computer."

"We don't have a computer with us, though," Inigo remarked.

"I do," the blue-haired octoling revealed. "I got Peyton's text about it before I started driving here."

"You brought a whole computer here?" Alexis asked, surprised. "Monitor and all?"

"No, a laptop," he corrected. "Desktops are lame. You cannot bring them anywhere."

"Oh." Alexis looked off to the side, frowning. "Now I feel like a fish-brain."

"We try it in Inkopolis Square," Oscar continued with his explanation. "School reception, it bad."

"Yeah," Iris agreed, scoffing. "You are right."

"No," Giovanni disagreed. "We need somewhere with as little interference as possible."

"Octo Valley?" Brayden suggested. "That place is abandoned now."

"I change my mind," the indigo-haired girl said, looking at the blue-haired boy next to her. "That is a better place."

"Then Octo Valley it is," Inigo concluded. "...Where is that?"

"You can get to it through Inkopolis Plaza," Alexis instructed. There's a manhole there you can slip through."

"The same one that old man poked his head out of?" Via asked. She had seen an elderly inkling poke his head out from time-to-time when everyone used to battle in the plaza, his eyes wide and bulging. She always thought of him as weird. And disgusting. He seriously needed a better skin care routine.

"Yeah," her sister confirmed. "I can show you."

"We know Octo Valley better than you do," Brayden pointed out. "We will be the guides."

"Thank you," Peyton said, standing up. Static still crackled from the radio. "I am happy to be your friend."

Iris shrugged. "You are welcome...I guess."

"Bring the rest of the Rainbow Squids," Gio instructed the inklings.

"What?!" Brayden cried out in confusion. "Really? This is not their problem!"

"Who knows?" the green-haired octoling shrugged. "They might know something we do not."

"Hm." The tan-skinned boy closed his eye and smiled. "True. Is that not right..." He opened his blue eyes, his expression going into a sneer. "...Alexis?"

"Hey, why do ya think _I_ know something!" she protested.

"Ah, so you _are_ hiding something," Gio remarked, putting a hand on his chin.

"You two are the worst!" Alexis started running away from them. "I'm beating you to Octo Valley!" She super-jumped away, an orange streak trailing through the blue sky.

Yvonne laughed. "Silly inkling!"

Oscar chuckled as well. "I guess we will return to there."

"Let us leave school," Peyton said, standing next to her teammates now.

"We will meet you in Inkopolis Plaza," Giovanni announced. The group of octolings started to head towards the parking lot, and now, it was only Octavia and Inigo, standing side-by-side. They pulled out their phones and both texted in the Rainbow Squids group chat to meet them in the plaza. Inigo added that Octa Prisma wanted to see them. After they were done, they headed to their cars and drove as close as they could to the plaza. They got out, and headed towards the area itself. Still, it was abandoned, the fox and tanuki statues overlooking the area growing dull.

Octa Prisma stood outside of Inkopolis Tower, leaning against the fencing. Yvonne sat on the crate Judd always slept on, playing a phone game. Upon Octavia and Inigo's arrival, Oscar met their eyes and waved. Alexis was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Alexis?" asked Octavia, worried.

"She went in," Iris replied, pointing at the grate beneath her feet. "When we arrive."

Octavia let out a sigh of relief. "At least she's safe."

Later, the rest of the Rainbow Squids arrived, confusion on their faces. "What's going on?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah, I'm surprised Octa Prisma of all people wants us here," Bonnie added.

"What harm could it do?" Perry questioned with a shrug. "They talk to us all the time. This isn't any different."

"Well..." Giovanni explained the situation, with Peyton interjecting sometimes. After they finished, the Rainbow Squids nodded, eyes wide.

"We gotta help you!" Yuri exclaimed. "Especially since it's your sister we're talking about!"

"Let go," Iris said, kicking the manhole open. Holding a laptop under his arm, Brayden jumped in it, followed by everyone else. They emerged in a small grassy area, canyon walls surrounding them. In the distance, she could see a huge octopus status, though for all she could know, it could be just a natural formation. Alexis sat on a bench in front of a small shack, reading through a photo album that obviously did not belong to her.

"What's that?" Perry asked, his purple eyes looking over at the short-haired inkling. "Didn't see it the first time we came here."

"Oh." Alexis closed the book. "You're here."

"Answer his question," Roy demanded, stepping in front of her.

"It's just something I found!" she replied, eyebrows furrowing. "I got bored, so I wanted to see what else was in here! OK? That's it! Now lemme put this back!"

The red-haired inkling sighed. "If you say so." He stepped out of the way to let Alexis inside. She set the book down next to a pile of other books and returned outside.

"So, we're ready?" Via asked.

Brayden nodded. "Yes." He set the laptop down on the bench and opened it. He logged into it and stepped out of the way, gesturing towards Giovanni and Oscar. Peyton handed Oscar the walkie-talkie, and he kneeled down in front of the empty space on the bench, setting it down. He turned it on, static sounding from the speakers. However, briefly, Via could hear...music?

"What...? That tune..." Peyton mumbled, eyes wide. "I heared it before."

"Mess around with it more," Giovanni demanded of the bronze-skinned boy. "Until the music is clear!"

"I was planning to do of the thing," Oscar scoffed.

Once the music was steady, Peyton kneeled down next to Oscar, her shades sliding down the bridge of the nose. "Hello?" she called. "Peony?"

"...Hello..."

Oscar jumped at the voice, the walkie-talkie nearly falling out of his hand. Peyton swiped it from him and looked at the radio, frowning. "...You no Peony."

"...Sorry..." replied the voice. The voice was a little garbled from the static, making their gender unclear.

"Why you have that?" the purple-haired octoling demanded, her voice sharp.

"...Find...it..." they replied. "...Do...you...speak...Octarian...?"

Peyton blinked. "Are you...Octarian?"

"...Yes... I...no do...speak Inkling...good..."

"Where are you?" Gio suddenly asked to the voice.

"...Ah...! ...Another...person...!"

"Sorry!" Oscar apologized.

"...How...many...of...you...?"

Giovanni counted everyone. "Thirteen."

"...That...a crowd... Why...so...many...?"

"Hold on," Alexis interjected, looking over at Peyton. "Get a better signal. I can barely hear them."

"Will try," she replied, messing with the buttons on the walkie-talkie once more. Soon, the static had lessened. "You hear me good now?"

"Yes," replied the Octarian. Though there was still some garble, the voice sounded female. It was soft, almost like Bonnie's. Yet, there was a rasp to it. And an accent, though everyone in Octa Prisma had an accent. She assumed the same was true for all Octarians.

"Now..." Brayden started, putting his arms behind his head. "How did you find that walkie-talkie?"

"In Central Station," she replied.

"Central Station?" Yuri cocked his head to the side.

"Eep!" the voice gasped. "...Sorry," she said after a few moments. "So many of you."

"So, where's Central Station?" Perry asked.

"Ehe..." she breathed. "Deepsea Metro. That is what this called."

"I...have no idea where that is," the purple-haired inkling concluded, shrugging. "Sounds far away, considerin' we had to go out here to even hear you."

"My goal is the promised land," the Octarian continued to explain. "Collect four 'thangs' is what I need. I not want to get the final thang yet. I am not feeling the ready. I almost am."

"Peony talk about the promised land a lot," Peyton mused, her eyes looking up towards the sky. "The surface. She excited to meet inklings. And take culture. I not hear from her since she reach the promised land."

"Since this girl found your sister's walkie-talkie down there," Brayden theorized, crossing his arms, "I think she left it there on purpose."

"What?!" Peyton gasped. "Brayden, why you say?"

"It's a solid theory," Inigo remarked. "And it would make sense."

Octavia nodded. "I bet the first thing she did was get a phone!"

"No one I talk to have see Peony," the pale-skinned girl said with a frown. "Why? No understand."

"Maybe she moved?" Yuri suggested. "It happens. I bet she's still out there!"

"No understand even more," Peyton dismissed, shaking her head. "Do you...uh..."

"Eight," the voice responded. "Pearl and Marina call me Eight. I like the name."

"Pearl and Marina?!" Perry exclaimed, surprised. "Like, Off the Hook Pearl and Marina?"

"Yes," Eight confirmed. "There another Pearl and Marina?"

"No!" he affirmed. "Still, it's crazy fresh you know Off the Hook personally!"

"'Crazy fresh?' You inkling? You sound fluent."

"Err... Yeah."

"Inklings and octolings, working together... It impossible two years ago. Now, it possible. I see it myself."

"May I connect the radio now?" Oscar asked Peyton, turning to face her.

"Yes," she replied. "I not think there to be special."

The boy with the afro took the walkie-talkie from her hand. Giovanni then handed him a cord. Oscar plugged the cord in on both ends, allowing a program to pop up. He clicked yes, and not much time later, a window popped up, depicting a girl with pink, curly hair and light brown skin, looking down on the walkie-talkie. Her tentacles were curled up tight, and she had a frown on her face.

"What you doing?" the voice then asked, the girl's mouth moving as Eight spoke. Her tentacles relaxed slightly, but they still seemed tense.

 _Wait..._ Via thought. _I've seen her before. Down in the subway._

"What's that look on your face?" Bonnie asked, blue eyes focused on her friend.

"Um..." She and the other members of the Rainbow Squids promised they wouldn't talk about her presence in that subway near Inkopolis Square. But would it extend to Eight, too? "...Nothing. Just thinking."

"Oh, OK." She shrugged and turned her attention back to the laptop screen.

"There a camera on the walkie-talkie," Peyton explained, seemingly forgetting her previous question. "Connect it let us see you. Like a phone."

"Oh," Eight muttered, looking down. "I look the fine, yes?"

"Yes," Brayden said. "You look good." Iris pouted and put her hands on her hips at the comment.

"Again..." She put a hand on her shoulder. A yellow bracelet circled her wrist. "I am the sorry. Hope you find Peony."

"Me too," Yuri interjected. The other inklings murmured in agreement.

"If you find her, tell me," the purple-haired octoling finished. "I miss her much."

Eight's tentacles relaxed some more. "You not mad?"

"Disappoint. But no mad," she explained. "I think you nice. In personality."

The pink-haired octoling—Octavia was sure she was an octoling now—smiled. "Thank you for the forgiving." The camera shuddered, and Eight stood up. "I at the next destination. Matchmaster Station." She started walking to the door, angling the radio so that both she and it were visible. "Goodbye, new friend."

"Bye!" everyone exclaimed. The screen went black, and Oscar unplugged the cord from the laptop.

"Well, that's too bad," Alexis chirped. "Better luck next time, am I right?"

"Yes..." Peyton looked off to the side. She took the walkie-talkie and started walking to the manhole leading back to Inkopolis Plaza. "I go back. Bye." She turned into an octopus and slipped through the grate.

"I'm leaving," Roy announced, going to the grate as well. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Wait for me!" Inigo called. "I have a date!"

"Inigo has a _date?_ " Octavia perplexed. "Since when?"

"Never thought I'd see the day," Perry remarked.

Roy seemed equally perplexed. "Huh?! When did this happen?"

"Recently," the boy with the ponytail replied. "I just never talked about it." He turned into a squid and slipped through the grate, too. Roy followed him not long after.

"Wait! You have to tell me more!" Octavia called, running over to the manhole. Alas, he was already gone. "Gah! Dang it."

"We're forgetting something important, aren't we?" Yuri spoke up. "There's probably a ton of octolings coming to Inkopolis, like Eight. Which means Inkopolis is going to get bigger and bigger!"

"Inkopolis is always growing," Giovanni pointed out. "Why is that important?"

"Because that means more people playing turf war!" he cheered. "And we can make a bunch of new friends."

"That just means less inklings to fight for me," Gio groaned.

"That is the stupid," Iris chastised the yellow-haired boy. "You are blinded to the past."

"So?" Yuri cocked his head to the side. "The past's the past. We just gotta live in the present."

"Octolings and inklings are enemies," the indigo-haired octoling pointed out, gripping her sides. "There never be peace."

"As long as DJ Octavio lives, he will not allow peace," Brayden mumbled.

"Who cares about DJ Octavio? I'm surprised he's still even alive!" Octavia snapped. "You're in Inkopolis now! He can't hurt any of you."

"Huh?" Octa Prisma looked over at the Rainbow Squids, curious.

"It's 2018, not 1915," Perry exasperated, narrowing his eyes. "The Great Turf War was over a hundred years ago. Get over it."

"E-Even you are the b-bother!" Oscar stuttered. "Not all octolings think this."

"We all did at one point," Gio grumbled, clenching a fist. "Did you forget?"

"Yeah, but that still under Octarian oppression," Yvonne brushed off the remark. "We in inkling freedom now, thank Calamari Inkantation."

"Yvonne's right," Yuri commented. He reached a hand out, palm facing the ground. "So, let's be friends."

The Rainbow Squids, Alexis included, put their hands on top of Yuri's, followed by Oscar and Yvonne. All of them looked over at the remaining three octolings. Giovanni hesitated, but he put his hand down next. Brayden followed, and now, everyone was looking at Iris, expectant.

"...Fine," she groaned, putting her hand on top of Brayden's.

"On the count of three, we say, 'Booyah,'" Yuri instructed. "One, two, three..."

"Booyah!"

Everyone lifted their hands, pointing it towards the sky, laughing. When was the last time Octavia had seen anyone in Octa Prisma laugh?

Nonetheless, she was happy. Happy they could finally get over their differences for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how was it? I think it was better than the last chapter for sure. Still not the best, though. Agent 8 finally appeared with a major role, though! That's a positive. I also hope you all learned more about Peyton today, too. And the other members of Octa Prisma, too. Still held down by Octarian propaganda. It's sad, but it can take a while before it can be undone. I don't think Marina's fully over it, either - she does seem anxious a lot. But, this story's about the Rainbow Squids! I think if I do explore Marina's perspective, it will be in a separate story. I am interested in writing more stuff from Octa Prisma's perspective, though. Octolings are quite interesting, if you ask me. Enough of my rambles, hopefully next week's chapter will be good, too!


	76. Inkopolis Bay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rainbow Squids take a trip to Inkopolis Bay, using the tickets Yuri bought them.

_Yuri's PoV_

"Guess what I got!" Yuri announced, pulling some tickets out of his pocket.

"...What are they?" Roy asked with narrowed eyes. He leaned on the metal table they usually sat at, staring at him with those red eyes.

"Tickets to Inkopolis Bay!" he revealed. "My treat!"

"Inkopolis Bay!" Alexis gasped. "I always wanted to go there!"

"But can't we just super-jump there?" Bonnie perplexed. "Or just walk?"

"Inkopolis Bay's a super elitist place," Inigo pointed out. "Didn't you use to live there?"

"Yeah, when I was young," she replied. "I hardly remember it."

"It's also where the big private school in Inkopolis is," Perry explained. "Went there 'til I was like, 9 or 10. The uniforms sucked big time."

Yuri remembered that both he and Perry were new students in the year they started to attend West Inkopolis. Yuri because he moved from East Inkopolis, Perry because he transferred in from a private school. Given his wealth, he suspected he went to Orca Academy—the aforementioned school in Inkopolis Bay—but he did not get a confirmation until now.

"So, why do we need tickets again?" Alexis asked. "Just seems like a status thing."

"Well, it is," Yuri replied. "We'll get chased out if we just waltz in there."

"Seriously?!" Octavia cried, shocked. "That place sounds like the worst!"

"I dunno," Perry said with a shrug. "It's pretty."

"It'd be nice to relax," added Inigo.

"Yeah, get away from this Vigilante stuff," Roy agreed. He glanced over at the boy with the ponytail, smirking. "Don't ya think?"

"U-Uh, sure!"

"Then it's settled." Yuri put away his tickets and threw his hands up in a victory sign. "We're going to Inkopolis Bay!"

"Right now?" Bonnie questioned, blue eyes intrigued.

"Yep! Right now!" The yellow-haired inkling did a little bounce and started running to the train station. "C'mon, let's go! Last one there's a rotten egg!"

"Hey! That's cheating!" Alexis complained. He heard her push her chair aside, followed by quick footsteps approaching him. A look over her shoulder told him that she was chasing after him, running as fast her short legs could carry her. He returned his attention to the street, running past the Deca Tower, towards the train station. As soon as he arrived, he turned around and leaned against one of the lamp posts to catch his breath, watching as his friends ran towards him.

Roy managed to outpace Alexis, therefore being the first to arrive. The short-haired girl showed up next, out of breath. The rest of the Rainbow Squids arrived shortly thereafter, also out of breath. They looked behind them, and then at their surroundings.

"...All we are rotten eggs?" Bonnie asked, frowning as she clasped her hands together.

"Nah," Yuri tried to cheer her up. "We're all fresh eggs."

"Really? Yay."

"Anyways, let's go," announced Inigo, walking to the entrance of the train station. "No use sitting around all day."

"We're gonna have a splat-tastic time at Inkopolis Bay!" the spiky-haired boy exclaimed. "Right?"

Inigo paused, looking over his shoulder and smiling. "Right."

The Rainbow Squids entered the train station, where Yuri showed the tickets to the employee, a jellyfish. They nodded and gestured for them to follow. They walked past the usual train lines before arriving at a much more polished train. It was clear of graffiti and stickers, and the train itself was accented with gold. The jellyfish waved a tentacle, and the door opened. Sitting in the conductor's seat was an older manta ray, fins waving in the air slowly, much like Marina's tentacles.

"Tickets, please," she asked, her voice monotone as she outstretched her arm. She flexed her clawed hand, expectant.

"Yep." Yuri placed the tickets in her hand, and she snatched them back up, the fins flaring out momentarily.

The conductor counted the tickets and put them in a small wooden box. "Go sit," she directed, pointing behind her.

"Harsh, isn't she?" Octavia muttered behind him. They walked over to some seats towards the middle of the train and sat down on them. The doors shut, and the train shuddered as it started to move. Yuri leaned back in his chair, sitting next to Perry, who took the window seat. He pulled up his phone and started scrolling through it while he waited.

Suddenly, he heard whistling from beside him. He glanced over at Perry first, but he was still staring out the window, back turned. He looked on the other side of him and saw another inkling with a peculiar hairstyle, sitting next to the window. Three orange tentacles were sticking straight up, like a mohawk, while the other three tentacles were smaller, located on the bottom of the head like many other hairstyles, swished to the side.

 _Pip?_ he thought. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the inkling that first spurred the wave of inklings trying to investigate the 'Deepsea Metro,' as Eight called it. A fair-skinned hand was pushed up against their cheek, carrying a bored expression. No one else was sitting with them, but their lips were moving...positioned in such a way that they would be whistling.

Pip must have noticed him looking at them. They stopped whistling and glanced over at Yuri with royal blue eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, Yuri," they said. "And..." They leaned forward, looking past the spiky-haired inkling. "Perry." They looked around them. "All the Rainbow Squids are here."

"Yeah!" he chirped. "We're going to Inkopolis Bay!"

They chuckled. "Inkopolis Bay... I'm going there too."

"What for?"

"My photography final. I wanted to take pictures of the ocean and some of the fancy stuff there."

"When is it due?"

"Tomorrow."

"What?! You've put it off for this long?" Alexis suddenly interjected, standing up and leaning over Pip's seat.

Pip looked over at her and made a poker face. "It'll be quick," they assured her.

"Yeah," Yuri exclaimed, pumping a fist. "I'm sure you'll get it done on time."

The orange-haired inkling smiled and look towards the window again. "Thank you, Yuri," they said, loud enough for him to hear.

"You're welcome." He gave a thumbs-up.

The train eventually came to a stop some minutes later. Everyone got to their feet and filed a line towards the door. The manta ray gestured for everyone to get off, and quickly everyone did. At the gates, a mantis shrimp decorated with golden badges waved around a packet of some sort.

"Come up, come up!" he proclaimed, his voice booming. "Come get your honorary Inkopolis Bay pins! Show everyone you're the best of the best!"

A jellyfish tried walking past him, but he grabbed them with his pincer and brought them back in front of him. He tore a packet open and forced a pin on the jellyfish. They absorbed the pin, the metal now faintly shining from within them. They waddled on, not being stopped again. Everyone on the train got a pin, though on later passengers, he distributed them much more gently. He plopped one pin each in the hands of the Rainbow Squids plus Pip, and the group of inklings put them on their shirts. The mantis shrimp let them pass, and now, they were officially in Inkopolis Bay.

Yuri rushed out of the train station and cheered. "Woo! Inkopolis Bay! We're finally here!"

"I can't wait to eat a bunch of fancy food!" Alexis exclaimed, running next to him. "And maybe go out to the ocean!"

"Or battle in that special stage Inkopolis Bay has!" Perry added.

Pip shrugged, pulling out a camera. "I need to work," they remarked, hanging the camera strap around their neck. "See ya." They walked down the street, towards a rather tall building with a pointed rooftop.

"Hey," Octavia asked, looking over at the aforementioned building. "What's that? Looks kinda fresh."

"That's the battle hub here," Perry explained as they started to walk down the street. "Like Deca Tower. Except for the squids that live here."

"So there's a lobby in there?" Via remarked. She looked back at the building. As they came closer to it, Yuri could make out more details. It appeared to be made of a dark wood that had a rosy tint to it. The roof was of grey tiling, though several screens were attached to it. Advertisements for cereal brands were currently flashing on the screens. "Huh. Never thought something that short could have one."

"Ha," Yuri laughed. "It's like a mini pagoda."

"Sure does," the purple-haired inkling remarked, crossing his arms.

They passed a few restaurants, mostly adorned with gold and fishing nets, and soon arrived in an open area in front of the lobby building. The buildings fanned out, allowing for a wide, trapezoid-like area for tables to be placed. On the side they came in on—Yuri's right—there were several billboards, advertising shops. The layout of it was the same as the Galleria, though the names and exteriors were different. On the opposite side of the area were several miscellaneous buildings, including an empty building in the middle of the strip. The back of the area had stairs leading down to the beach, as well as a small area to observe the ocean, railing preventing anyone from walking off the platform.

Yuri turned his head to look at the lobby building. Two screens on the front of the building were displaying the current stages. They were the same stages as the current rotation back in Inkopolis Square, he was pretty sure. Pip stood in front of it, angling their camera at the building. Some unfamiliar inklings hung out by the benches next to the entrance, glaring at them. Pip didn't seem to notice them, however, as they lowered their camera and started walking towards the shops, ignoring the Rainbow Squids.

"Ya think they'll let us in?" Octavia asked, pointing to the shops.

"We do have these pins," Roy added, tugging at the pin on his jacket.

"Probably not," Inigo dismissed. "Us wearing them pretty much means we're not from the bay."

"We can still try," Yuri encouraged, patting the boy with the ponytail's shoulder.

Roy huffed and started walking towards the shops. "A little pin won't stop me." He walked into the weapons shop, and a minute or two later, a red squid was flung out of the shop, skidding against the concrete before he came to a stop. The squid reformed as the tan-skinned inkling, dirt covering his body. He was moaning something incoherent.

Inigo walked over to him and helped him to his feet. "Guess the shops aren't an option," he declared.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Octavia grumbled.

"Well, there's gotta be somethin' else we can do," Yuri tried to cheer everyone up, walking to the middle of the area. Underneath his feet were white arrows, painted to be like a spawn point. It was similar to the markings found in both Inkopolis Square and Inkopolis Plaza. "Like..." He scanned the area before turning back to the group. "People watching?"

"OK, that's just becoming Giovanni," Alexis sighed, shaking her head. "We're not like him."

"Better than just standing around," Roy spoke up, rubbing his head.

"It's not a bad idea..." Inigo muttered.

" _What?!_ You're actually agreeing with him?!" the short-haired inkling cried out in disbelief.

"Anyone else object?" the indigo-haired boy asked the group. No one else spoke up. "Then we're people-watching, I guess."

"C'mon, can't we go down to the beach or somethin'?" she protested.

"I'd kill for a tan," Perry commented. "Gotta get the right crispiness."

"That made no sense," Bonnie said, shaking her head.

"Admit it, Bon-Bon. I'd look superfresh with a tan," he continued on, pulling up the sleeves of his hoodie to expose his arms. "C'mon, sun. Kiss my skin."

"I can't imagine it," she remarked.

"You usually burn..." Yuri pointed out in a quiet voice. Louder, he said, "Yeah, I'm sure you'll look great." He gave a nervous grin.

"Thanks, Yuri." Perry was now flexing. "Pearl'll love me after my tan."

Roy sighed. "OK, back to people-watching..." He scanned the area with his red eyes, and then he gasped. "Uh, squids?"

"What?" Yuri puzzled, yellow eyes full of curiosity.

"Look over there." He turned towards the ocean and pointed at a table near the viewing point. Yuri walked up to him and Inigo and looked in his direction.

Sitting at a table were Brayden and Iris.

"Woah!" the dark-skinned inkling gasped. "That's-"

 _"Shh!"_ Roy covered Yuri's mouth, causing him to go silent. "We don't want them to hear us!" he scolded in a hushed voice.

"If we're really doing this, then we'll need to hide," Alexis deducted, putting a hand on her chin. She then pointed to a bush outside of the shoe shop. "There!"

Everyone turned into squids and crawled over to the bush, where they crowded together. Yuri leaned towards the two octolings, wishing to hear them better. At first, they looked over at where the Rainbow Squids were standing before. A few moments later, they shrugged and resumed talking. The yellow-haired inkling let out a sigh of relief and continued to listen to them.

Unfortunately, he couldn't understand a word they were saying.

"They're speaking in Octarian," Roy grumbled. "Of course..."

"Yeah, they're Octarians," Alexis deadpanned. "What else would they be speaking?"

"Inkling?" Yuri interjected. "They can speak it."

"They're not speaking it to each other," she shot it down.

"Guess we should actually watch 'em, then," Perry remarked.

The group of inklings sighed and returned their attention to Brayden and Iris. They were eating some kind of noodle dish while they talked, slurping it up. The indigo-haired octoling held up some noodles with her chopsticks, a mischievous smile on her face. Brayden shook his head and lowered her hand, causing the girl to frown. She then said something in Octarian, likely a complaint. Brayden said something in response, and the girl started to blush.

"Dang, even _Iris_ can get a boyfriend," Octavia muttered. She looked over at Inigo. "Guys will take just about anyone, don't they?"

The indigo-haired inkling blinked. "Huh? Why are you lookin' at me?" The other members of the Rainbow Squids remained silent, causing him to sigh. "Ah... I think I get it now."

"How do you know they're dating?" Yuri asked the wavy-haired inkling.

"It's Bonnie's theory," she replied. "She saw them together in Salmon Run one time."

"Yeah, they were holding hands," the blue-haired inkling elaborated. "And they stopped holding hands once I walked in."

"A pretty flimsy theory," Roy growled.

"I wouldn't rule it out, though," Inigo remarked. "Just wait and see..."

Just then, Yuri noticed someone wearing crazy arrows walk by the bush. He looked up to see Pip, holding their camera and approaching Brayden and Iris.

"Hi," they greeted. "Could I take a picture of you two?"

Iris scowled. "What for?"

"Photography class," they replied. "Just for my final."

"Will this be published somewhere?" Brayden questioned.

"No, only my teacher's seeing this," Pip responded. "Do you have a problem with this?"

"Hm." The blue-haired octoling smiled and threw an arm around Iris. "You go right ahead." The octoling girl scooted closer to the other octoling and smiled.

"Could you pick up your chopsticks?" they asked. "Like, act like you're going to eat the noodles." The two grabbed some noodles with their chopsticks, the pasta dangling from the sticks, into the broth. They opened their mouths, leaning forward. "Perfect!" Pip aimed their camera, and a snap sounded from the device. They took a few more pictures before lowering. "Alright! Thank you!" The orange-haired inkling walked away, leaving Brayden and Iris alone again.

The latter squeezed the former's hand and scooted away from him. "Finally," she breathed. "They are the gone."

"Yes..." Brayden's voice trailed off when he noticed the bush the Rainbow Squids were hiding in. Noticing that his tentacle was sticking out, Yuri shifted it so that it was now under his body. "...Iris?"

"What?" she asked.

"I think we have some inkling spies," he revealed.

Iris's features quickly turned into one of anger. "What?!" she gasped. She launched out of her chair and ran over to the bush. "Who is there?" she demanded, leaning down.

"Uh..." Perry started.

"Totally just a bush!" Yuri continued.

She reached a fair-skinned hand into the push and grabbed Yuri by his tentacle. It slipped out from underneath his body, and he was now dangling from Iris's hand. Surprised, he transformed back into a kid, with Iris now holding his wrist.

"Yuri!" she gasped. She threw him aside and pushed the bush open. "Many other squids!"

"Uh... Blub blub?" Bonnie squeaked.

She grabbed her and threw the blue squid out next to Yuri, causing her to reform as well. She proceeded to throw each of the Rainbow Squids out until they were all lying the concrete, dazed. Iris turned around to look at them, her features contorted with fury.

"You ruin _everything!_ " she scolded them. "You was not suppose to know!"

"...You and Brayden are dating," Inigo deduced, standing up. "What's the problem with that?"

"You could hurt me! Or him!" she defended, placing her hands over her chest. "You will know we will come protect each other."

"That sounds like somethin' you guys at Octa Prisma would do," Perry countered, pushing himself up as well. "Maybe not all of you, but most of you."

Iris growled. "You no do understand!" she whined. "Stupid inklings! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Me and Brayden suppose to have perfect day, but you ruin it!"

The blue-haired octoling had risen from his seat, tugging at his girlfriend's hand. "Come on," he urged her. "We are just about finished with our bowls, anyways."

The poufy-haired girl relaxed a little bit, curling her fingers around his hand. "I wish things go different." They started walking away, with Iris raising her hand and flipping them off. Yuri winced at the gesture, simply staring at it until the two octolings were mere specks in the distance.

"Geez, why is she so rude?" Octavia perplexed, frowning. "Especially this time."

"I guess we went a little too far," Bonnie mumbled, looking down at the floor. "She's nice when she wants to be, but...that isn't often."

"Well, we just gotta move on from it, even if that failed." Yuri bounded to his feet, pumping his feet. He turned towards the ocean. "C'mon!" He started walking towards the viewing point, pressing against the railing. He turned around, smiling. "This view's perfect!"

Perry smirked. "Always eager to go, huh?" he remarked. "Wait for me!" He started running towards his friend.

"Yeah, I'm coming too!" Roy exclaimed, running after Perry.

One by one, the Rainbow Squids ran up to the balcony, eventually lining up so that they were facing the ocean in order by their color. Yuri happened to be directly in front of some viewing binoculars, standing a little taller than the railing. He looked on both sides of him and smiled. Perry was the leftmost inkling in the line, but he was leaning over the railing, like he was going to fall over and land in the sand. He winked towards Yuri before returning his attention to the sky. The sun had begun to set, tinting the sky orange.

The yellow-haired inkling smiled, the air thick with the scent of salt. Despite everything, at least he was with his friends. And now they could relax for a bit, staring out into the beautiful ocean.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

_Agent 3's PoV_

A green-haired inkling jumped back, watching as a turquoise ghost flew away from the octoling she had just splatted. Her gear fell into the green puddle left behind, disappearing after a few seconds. The inkling lowered her Hero Shot, her breath heavy. She removed her left hand from the weapon, now resting by her side as she walked away from the scene.

 _That's the last of them,_ she thought. The chase would end for now. But, her search continued. She still hasn't found Cap'n Cuttlefish. She didn't know how long it had been since Alexis visited her. Initially, she thought it had only been a few weeks, when in reality, it had been two months between the Rainbow Squids' visit and Alexis's solo visit. For all she knew, today could have been the one-year anniversary of her departure from Inkopolis. Her entire junior year was already stripped from her thanks to becoming stranded; she didn't want to lose senior year, too.

Agent 3 pressed a finger to her headset. Nothing. She shouldn't be surprised. No one had contacted her in months. The blue device jangling in her pocket, she continued walking through the vent. For miles, the track seemed to stretch. And unlike below, there were no lights to comfort her. Only her rather limited vision and whatever light poured in from the vent openings.

Suddenly, a siren sounded from her pocket. She took out the device to see the light blinking rapidly. She opened it to see an icon in Central Station, flashing wildly.

_Someone needs help!_

She started running, a marker denotating her position. She was actually really close to it, coincidentally. For sure, she could get there in time, and see what was going on. Provided it wasn't a trap, of course.

_"HELP!"_

Her thoughts grew to a standstill. She knew that voice.

 _"GRAMPS!"_ she called. Heart pounding, she began running faster and faster. She saw something flash red up ahead, a different siren roaring in her ears. Mechanical whirring grew louder and louder, the cries for help growing louder, too. Not only did she hear Cap'n Cuttlefish's voice, she heard a different voice, too. This voice was softer and had a heavy accent, as if they were not used to screaming in Inkling. Putting her weapon and device away, she super-jumped to the top of the ceiling. _They're here. They're right here._

Gripping the ceiling, she saw what was going on through the glass. An antique telephone sat on top of a rather modern blender by comparison, the colorful lights on it glowing. An old inkling with a thick, cream beard was pounding on the glass, the blade spinning above him. Next to him was a curly-haired octoling with pink hair, pressing on the case with light brown hands. There they were. Cap'n Cuttlefish, and the octoling she had fought, all those months ago.

All this registered within a second in Agent 3's head. She had no time to think about it. She had to react, now.

_"GRAMPS! I'M HERE!"_

She dropped from the ceiling, kicking the through the glass. It shattered around her, some of the shards nicking her fair skin. Her foot contacted the telephone, kicking it and the lid of the blender off. She finished it off with a punch, wires popping out of the machine. With its removal, the blender knocked over, shattering on contact. Cap'n Cuttlefish stopped himself with his cane, while the octoling had fallen to the ground, pushing herself up.

Agent 3 heard words come out of her mentor's mouth, but she couldn't make out what he said, as her head hit the pavement, knocking her unconscious almost immediately.

Later, her senses began to return. Cap'n was calling her name. But at the same time, when she opened her eyes, she saw something turquoise crawl out of a pile of scrap metal. It seeped from the cracks, falling on the floor. And it was getting closer and closer.

"What...?" she muttered, lifting her head. The thing stopped momentarily, about a yard in front of her.

And then, it lunged.

The force pushed her, knocking her over on her back. The goop burned as it rested on her head, her senses growing duller as it wrapped around her. She didn't have the strength to scream. The last thing she heard was Cap'n's voice, shouting something at her. She couldn't make out what.

And soon, she was plunged into darkness once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You see why I didn't put an Octo Expansion warning at the beginning of this chapter? I wanted the end to be a surprise. Anyways, if you guessed that the big thing happening in the next few chapters is related to Octo Expansion, you are correct! Congrats! The next three chapters go together, and better yet, the first two of three will release back-to-back! Saturday, the next chapter, "Fly Octo Fly," will be released, followed by "Into the Light" next Sunday. I'm hyped for these next few chapters to come out. I've been wanting to write them ever since I started this story, and now, we're finally there! These two chapters will be the last ones for 2020. 2021 is going to kick off with a VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER. The fabled chapter 79 mentioned in the spoiler warning of the Halloween special, you don't want to miss it!


	77. Fly Octo Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Rainbow Squids relax at Inkopolis Bay, something is amiss...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION: This content contains content from Octo Expansion!
> 
> Some of Pearl, Marina, and Cap'n Cuttlefish's dialogue come from the game, while all of Tartar's (as the telephone) dialogue comes from the game.

_Agent 8's PoV_

The curly-haired octoling super-jumped to a checkpoint, a ride rail resting in front of her. She stopped, taking a few seconds to examine the elevator lying ahead. It was solid, with white towers shooting to the top of the building. Blue glowed all around her, the color of the midday sky.

The true promised land was so close, she could almost taste it.

"That's the central elevator," Marina informed her. "The battery is in there!"

"You can make it to the surface with this!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Cap'n Cuttlefish's and Agent 3's signals are close!" the other octoling quickly followed, her voice edged with excitement.

She activated the ride rail, and a pink trail started to grow from the bulb, running to a white platform at the very bottom of the elevator. She hopped on, admiring the sights. Turquoise pillars the same color as the sanitized ink ran down the sides. Inevitably, if she fell, she would fall to her doom.

While she traveled the ride rail, Pearl and Marina began talking among themselves.

"Maybe they already made it to the surface?" the former suggested.

"I sure hope the captain and Agent 3 are OK..." the latter muttered.

After a pause, the inkling began to speak again. "Eight!" The curly-haired octoling looked up at the ceiling at the mention of her new name. "We'll come get you in the chopper, so just wait up there with Cap, OK?"

Eight nodded. "OK," she replied in Inkling. It was one of the many words she had picked up during her time with Cap'n Cuttlefish and Pearl. When before, she couldn't speak a single lick of Inkling to her new friends. Marina had to translate.

She hopped off at a checkpoint. The ground rumbled, and she felt herself being lifted into the air, the white floor steadying her feet. The small platform met with a bigger one, with a few boxes surrounding her. She continued to stand, an Octo Shot resting in her hands.

"The heli?" Marina gasped. "You think we need it?!"

"There are only so many chances to use it. We can't let it go to waste!"

"Good point."

"Thanks!"

Suddenly, the elevator stopped, Eight's heart lurching in her chest. "W-What?" she managed to squeak out, terror building up in her body.

"Huh? The elevator..." Marina's voice trailed off.

"It stopped!" Pearl finished, alarmed. She paused, and then she asked, "Who's up there?"

Agent 8 looked up at a white pillar. A caped figure stood on top of it, their back turned. Something glowed on their head, a UFO floating in front of them. With realization, the octoling with light brown skin took a few steps back, her mouth dropping.

"That's Agent 3!" the other octoling exclaimed, taking her words out of her mouth. "But..."

"Something's wrong," Eight finished in Octarian. The UFO flew next to Agent 3, revealing a tied-up inkling. "There!" she cried out in the Inkling language. "Cap'n Cuttlefish!"

 _"GYAAAH!"_ he screamed, flailing around. "Agent 8? Help meeee!"

"Cap'n!" she cried out. "What is the happening?"

Agent 3 turned around, her long hair blowing in the artificial wind. Turquoise goop covered the right side of her head, starting from her eye, then wrapping around her headset. It was almost like a horn. Her pupils were glowing the same cyan as the sanitized Octarians, a spiral pattern marking her irises. Her expression was stoic, lips in a poker face.

"Agent 3's mind was hijacked by that crazy phone!" Cap'n proclaimed.

Agent 3 spun around, gripping her Hero Shot. "Number 10,008," she said, her voice monotone. "Your path ends here."

She launched into the air, doing a few flips before diving down towards the elevator. A marker appeared, announcing where she would land. Agent 8 jumped back as a large, turquoise circle surrounded the marker. _Splashdown!_ A vortex covered the corner of the stage, ink falling at Agent 3's feet. She stood up, her gaze narrowed as she started firing.

"Inkoming!" Pearl announced.

Turquoise ink already covering her body, Agent 8 started to run. The inkling hid behind the box, and she popped out with a Bomb Launcher in hand. Curling bombs started to cover the stage. The octoling inked one of the boxes and climbed on top of it, riding the bombs out. Once she ran out of time, she resumed shooting with her main weapon. The force of the ink knocked Eight off of the box, her armor shattering.

"Agent 8!" Cap'n instructed. "Get her before she gets you! Take down Agent 3, and get rid of that weird glowing goo on her head!"

"That is what I want to be do," Agent 8 commented, standing up, her legs shaking. "But she is the strong!"

"Then you have to outsmart her," Marina advised. "What would Agent 3 do if she was fighting herself?"

 _What would Agent 3 do...?_ Through her hazy memories, she recalled that Agent 3 was known as the Dreaded among Octarians. A name that struck fear into the hearts of octolings everywhere. It was true for her, too. She feared for her life. One misstep, and it was all over.

"Number 10,008..." Agent 3 called again. "Where are you?" She appeared at the box, just as Agent 8's armor repaired. "There you are." She fired her Hero Shot again, but this time, the octoling was prepared. She threw a bomb at Agent 3's feet and created a path with her remaining ink. She swam to another corner of the arena, with the inkling running up to her. Pink ink dripped off of her cape and the tips of her hair.

"Eiiiight!" Pearl called. "Attack!"

As she was cornered, Eight fired her Octo Shot at her attacker. Pink ink running off of Agent 3's body, she dodge-rolled, throwing the octoling's aim off. Turquoise ink covering Eight's body again, her armor shattered once more. She cursed under her breath and tried swimming away.

"You were supposed to be the perfect specimen," Agent 3 continued in a taunt. "Yet now, you stand down."

Growing still in the ink, Agent 8 trembled at the inkling's words. If she didn't think the phone was controlling Agent 3 before, she knew for sure now. No one else would use such words, despite the funky dialect it spoke with back down in the metro. But, she wasn't weak. She persevered through eighty tests thrown at her, gaining the mem cake from each and every one.

She was sure she wasn't going to back down now.

Once her armor recovered, she emerged from the ink and launched herself at Agent 3. She fired at the inkling, who had pulled out a Bomb Launcher once again. Before she could send out any bombs, however, she gasped, falling to her knees as enemy ink covered her body. The launcher fell off of her, and she super-jumped back to the UFO. For a moment, Agent 8 thought she was defeated. But, the inkling stood right back up, the turquoise goop still remaining.

She wiped some ink off of her cheek. "There you go," she applauded, her voice laced with aggression. "What a pest you are."

Agent 3 super-jumped back down to the arena, entering a Baller on contact with the ground. She ran towards Agent 8, causing her to flee. They ran around the arena until the inkling's special exploded near a box. Eight pressed up against the other side, turquoise ink flying past her. She looked over her shoulder to see that the long-haired girl had resumed inking the area around her.

"Are you serious?" Pearl groaned. "This is way too many specials!"

"Agree..." Eight breathed.

"It looks like Agent 3 removed the limiter..." Marina deduced.

"Best be careful, Eight," the inkling over the radio suggested. "There's no way you're splatting today!"

The octoling nodded and turned around to face Agent 3 again. She hurled a splat bomb at her, which she swiftly dodged. She fired her Octo Shot again, covering some of her opponent's jacket in pink ink. She dodge-rolled back into her own ink and began inking the arena again. They exchanged fire, ink of both colors flying past each person. Eventually, Agent 3's Baller regenerated, and once again, she was running towards Eight.

"Try shooting it," the other octoling suggested. "You can push her back!"

Agent 8 pointed her weapon at the Baller and began firing, stopping Agent 3 in her tracks. Yet, she continued to run, causing her to trip and fall. With another few shots, she was pushed against the wall, the Baller exploding around her. The inkling shook her head after the brief shock and charged towards Eight again, now fully healed. The curly-haired octoling stepped to the side and fired once more, covering Agent 3 in ink. She dodge-rolled into some pink ink, allowing her to finish her off. Her armor broke once more, and she super-jumped back to the UFO.

However, the goop remained. "Number 10,008, why must you be a hindrance?" Agent 3 asked with a straight face. "All this 'Agent 3' wants to do is see her friends again." She pulled out a Sting Ray. "Had things gone according to plan, she would be back in the promised land. This mess would not have happened." She shook her head. "Give up. I see now you do not deserve anything with how you associate with these failures."

"No," she muttered. "No, I will not." She spoke in Octarian—she knew the telephone understood her native tongue. "I _will_ make it to the promised land! I've fought for so long to get here! I won't stand down now!"

Agent 3's face fell. "Unfortunate. Though not unexpected."

She fired the Sting Ray, a turquoise beam piercing through her. It burned, so badly. So, so badly. Eight rolled out of the way, ink dripping off of her body. Out of everything, it was her back that hurt the most. Who knows how many times she blew up in each and every station? When she assembled the thangs, she thought she would be done. But she wasn't. And now, she was fighting for her life. Agent 8 rose to her feet, pulling out a splat bomb.

"Agent 8!" Cap'n called, grabbing her attention. "Don't mind me—just take out Agent 3!"

As the Sting Ray faded, the octoling tossed a bomb up at the UFO, covering Agent 3's feet in ink. She proceeded to throw out a splat bomb in return and started firing her Hero Shot down at Agent 8. She danced around each and every shot, her footwork getting sloppier and sloppier as more and more turquoise ink surrounded her. Most of the pink ink on Agent 3 had faded by now. Eventually, she pulled out another Sting Ray.

"Dodge!" Pearl shouted.

The beam returned, and per Pearl's warning, Eight jumped out of the way, using the opportunity to throw another splat bomb at Agent 3. This bomb covered more of the inkling's body in ink, but it still wasn't enough.

"You've got this, Agent 8!" Marina encouraged. "Just a little more!"

Eight dived in the ink to refill her ink tank, and once the Sting Ray disappeared once again, she threw another bomb. Agent 3 let out a cry, stumbling.

"Did we do it?!" Pearl asked excitedly. She turned out to be wrong when the enemy inkling once again super-jumped off of the UFO.

"It's not over yet!" Cap'n proclaimed.

A turquoise ring appeared near Agent 8, and she swam away before Agent 3 could land. Turquoise ink brushed her side, and she began inking another path. The inkling eyed Eight and super-jumped over to her position once more, preparing another Splashdown. The octoling screamed as more ink fell on her, and she scrambled away. Agent 3 jumped up again for a final Splashdown, which broke the octoling's armor.

"Shoot!" she swore, clinging to the wall of the box. _Please don't splat me, please don't splat meee!_

The inkling patrolled the area, firing ink at her every step. After a few seconds, she approached the box and pointed at Eight. She emerged and fell to the ground, still vulnerable.

"It's over," Agent 3 said. "A shame it had to come to this."

At that moment, Agent 8 closed her eyes, expecting her splatting to be swift. This was it. It was over. She would die today, not without seeing the promised land—no, the surface, once.

"Agent 8!" Cap'n Cuttlefish suddenly called. "Give it everything you've got!"

At that moment, Eight's armor repaired, and she opened her eyes. The inkling's finger was pressing down on the trigger, turquoise ink now squirting out of the barrel of the shooter. As ink hit her chest, she stood up and fired as much ink as she could from her Octo Shot. Agent 3 dodge-rolled back, shocked.

"What?!" she hissed, eyes wide.

"Agent 3!" Eight exclaimed, running towards her. "I save you!"

Targeting the goop, she fired at her with pink ink. Agent 3 took a few steps back, and before she could react, she was sent flying through the air, the turquoise goop peeling off her face.

 _"Aaagghhh!"_ She spun around and fell to the floor, bumping off of the wall and landing on her side. Her Hero Shot landed a few feet in front of her, and she was now on the ground again, unconscious. Her hair shifted from turquoise to green, while the goop retreated elsewhere.

"Well done, Agent 8!" Cap'n applauded. Eight felt the ground shift under her feet, and they were sent towards the sky once more. She walked over to Agent 3 and kneeled over her. A turquoise mark remained on her head. She pulled out a fresh band-aid she picked up from the train and placed it over the spot.

"It looks like Agent 3 is out cold...again," Pearl remarked. "Will she attack you if she wakes up?"

"The goo is gone, so it's probably fine..." Marina answered.

"Yeah..." Eight poked her cheek. No response. _She's kind of pretty when she's like this,_ she found herself thinking.

"Untie me at once!" the old inkling demanded.

"Oh!" She ran over to Cap'n Cuttlefish and helped him down. Once the ropes were free, he placed his cane down on the ground again. The elevator floor connected to another platform, which led to a ladder. Picking up Agent 3, Eight looked up at the sky, a faint light shining through. She wasn't even out yet, but it felt nice.

Finally, she was free. There was only one thing left to do—climb.

* * *

_Alexis's PoV_

"Isn't the ocean beautiful at sunset?" Octavia asked, turning to her sister.

"Yeah," she agreed, leaning against the railing. "I wish we'd go here more often."

"The people that live by the beach are lucky," Roy remarked. "They can battle in Inkopolis and go to the beach every day."

"Jealous?" Perry teased, his lips turning upward in a cheeky smile.

"You know what? I am," the red-haired inkling admitted, crossing his arms. "Why can't I live by the beach? I can go sit in the sun every day."

"Yeah, but you'll dry up," Bonnie pointed out. "And then you can't play with us!"

"Carp, you're right," he realized. "The beach's still fresh though."

"Yeah..." she agreed. Everyone turned their heads towards the orange sky, watching the gentle ocean waves. The purple-and-orange skies were dotted with grey clouds, and soon, it would rain. City of Color played in the background, presumably from a speaker. Despite the cheerful song, the scenery felt...off. As if something was going to happen.

"May I join you?" a masculine voice asked from behind them. Alexis looked over her shoulder to see Giovanni, the end of a tentacle poking out of the short beanie he wore. It flapped in the salty breeze, though it was not very noticeable. She scanned him. _He seems friendly enough, but I can't let my guard down._

"Sure," Inigo replied. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised, if Iris and Brayden were here, too."

"Me being here and those two have nothing to do with each other," he growled. "So, you should be surprised."

Perry laughed. "Still moody as ever, Gio," he remarked. He patted the empty space next to him. "You can stand here."

"Thank you." He walked next to Perry, disappearing from Alexis's sight.

She turned back to the ocean. Still, the waves were gentle. For the first time, she noticed something else in the ocean. An artificial platform. Metal beams and towers shot out of it, protecting a few green tubes. It was strange, but nothing out of the ordinary. A golden light was casted on the water, illuminating Inkopolis gently.

Alexis then heard whirring from up ahead. She looked up to see a glowing helicopter, flying over them. A platform was hanging off of it. Other helicopters surrounding the glowing one, following it to the platform. It stood out greatly in the sky, to the point where she could even see it from far away.

"Hey, it's Off the Hook's chopper!" Perry exclaimed. "Wonder what they're usin' it for."

"To go over there," Octavia answered, pointing at the platform. "You're not blind, Perry, are you?"

"No," he defended himself. "I was just focused on the chopper."

"Strange that they're using it, though," Inigo noted, putting a hand on his chin. "I don't see anyone."

"Let's use this, then," Yuri suggested, pointing at the binoculars. He pulled out a coin and inserted into the slot, and the lens cover popped up, allowing it to be used. He brought it to his height and looked through it. "Oh! There's a girl!"

"A girl? Lemme see." Inigo walked up to the binoculars and look through them. "Wait! I've seen her before!"

"Huh?! Where?!" Alexis cried out, surprised.

"That's Eight!" he deduced. "Peyton's walkie-talkie buddy!"

"Really?!" Octavia gasped. "I didn't expect her to be done so soon!"

"Let me see," Gio demanded, pushing Inigo and Yuri out of the way. He looked through the binoculars and gasped. When he lifted his head, he had a smile on his face. "Agent 3! She is there, too!"

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder!" Yuri remarked. "Lemme see it." He took them from Giovanni and looked through them again. "...There's two inklings."

"Two?" Bonnie asked.

"A girl with long hair and...an old man? Why is an old man with them?"

 _An old man..._ Alexis searched her memory. _Oh, right! Agent 3 was with Cap'n Cuttlefish! And she was looking for them!_ Excited, she pulled out her phone and opened her contacts, looking for Marie. _They can come home at last!_

She dialed the grey-haired inkling for a video call, and she quickly responded. Callie and Marie were crowded around the latter's phone, smiles on their faces. They appeared to be in front of the Cuttlefish Cabin in Octo Canyon, on the bench where they usually sat.

"Hey, Alexis," Marie greeted. "What's up?"

"...Who are you talking to?" Via asked, looking over at her sister.

"My friend," Alexis replied before returning her attention to the Squid Sisters. "A lot of things, actually. I'm in Inkopolis Bay, and-"

"Inkopolis Bay!" Callie exclaimed. "That's where the beach is! Remember the plan we made with Three? We were gonna go there with her when she came back."

"Were we gonna bring Gramps, too?" Marie asked her cousin.

"Yeppers! We can't leave him out!"

"Guys," Alexis sighed, smiling. "Could you..." Her words faltered when she noticed something else going on in the background. Something was rising out of the ocean. She lifted her head.

"Alexis?" the grey-haired inkling called. "What is it?"

"Uh..." A marble statue was facing Inkopolis, though it was not a statue of just anyone. It was a statue of something she had only seen in history books. Curly hair tightly packed around its scalp, a long head, and thin eyes. None of these traits belonged to an inkling, nor an octoling.

"That's..." Roy faltered.

"A human," Bonnie finished. "That's a _human._ "

"I thought humans were extinct," Perry remarked, mouth gaping. "Why is there a giant one starin' right at us?"

"Idiots," Giovanni snapped, shaking his head. "That is just a statue! Not a real human!"

"I didn't know human statues still existed," Inigo said. "And what's with that hat? It's like the one my sister bought for New Year's."

"Alexis, what's going on?" Marie asked again.

"Yeah, I kinda wanna know about-"

Alexis turned her phone towards the statue.

 _"HOLY CARP!"_ Callie shrieked mid-sentence. "That really is a human!"

The mouth started to unhinge, smoke hissing out of it as a cannon slipped out of the hole. Tubes of turquoise ink were connecting to it, casting a sickly green glow on the statue. And it only seemed to glow brighter as it slowly spun, making the sky seem much darker in comparison.

"I..." Even Marie was at a loss for words.

Suddenly, a robotic voice began to speak. It was distant, but it was not far enough that Alexis couldn't make out the words. She and the other inklings leaned towards it, curious.

 _"TARTAR IN DA HOUSE!"_ it greeted. It beeped before continuing in a different dialect. "I am TARTAR, an AI construct created 12,000 years ago by a brilliant professor."

"12,000 years ago?" Octavia mumbled. "That's...before the Mollusc Era, right?"

"Geez, that's old," Bonnie whispered.

"My prime directive is to pass humanity's vast knowledge on to the next worthy lifeform," it continued. "When your kind became self-aware, I hoped that my long wait was finally over. But as I observed your evolution, _I was disgusted!_ "

"Disgusted?!" Roy cried. "What for?!"

"You wage war over minor genetic deviations," Tartar continued.

"We needed land!" Giovanni defended. "We had no choice!"

"Neither did we!" Yuri agreed.

"You obsess over trivial fashion choices," it accused, its voice speeding up.

"Hey! They're not trivial, they're fresh!" Octavia cried, stomping a foot on the ground.

"I don't think it can hear us," Alexis whispered to her sister.

"And so I created a new prime directive: destroy this world and start anew! From the best and brightest test subjects, I created a sludge of supreme DNA. A primordial ooze from which the ultimate lifeform will emerge. Today is the day my vision becomes reality, as I destroy Inkopolis and everyone in it!"

The cannon still spun, though it hadn't fired yet. However, it appeared that Agent 4 would once again have to put on her hero suit and save Inkopolis.

"Holy. Carp," Marie said. Alexis turned the phone back to her. Callie ran into the cabin and grabbed three suitcases. She activated one, and instantly she was armed in the original hero suit.

"We're coming!" the black-haired inkling declared, giving another suitcase to Marie.

"Meet us at the Starfish Drinks there," the grey-haired inkling instructed. "Take a right from the lobby building and go straight down the street."

"Quickly! We don't have much time!" Callie fretted. The call ended, and Alexis put her phone away.

"I have to go!" the short-haired inkling announced, running off. "I'll be back!"

"Wait, Alexis!" Octavia cried, reaching out for her. But her words fell on deaf ears, as Alexis had only one thought—get to Starfish Drinks and get her hero suit, and then save the world. She had no time to waste.

She continued running, passing confused citizens. Per Marie's instructions, she ran past the central building, off to the side, where the Starfish Drinks in the bay was located. The green logo of the business came into view, and she stopped outside the entrance, hopping impatiently as she awaited the Squid Sisters' arrival. They arrived not long after, landing clumsily on their feet. Both of them wore a hero suit and hats to conceal their identities. Marie tossed a spare suitcase at Alexis, arming her in Agent 4's signature outfit. The Hero Dualies appeared in her hands, and she spun them, excited to feel them in her grip once more.

"Let's get back," Agent 2 instructed. "We have no time to lose!"

The three agents turned around and started running back towards the perch Alexis was at previously. Again, they were met with even more confused looks. An upbeat song she had never heard before was playing through the speakers, though she recognized the singers instantly—Pearl and Marina. Off the Hook's new song might just give her the energy to complete her mission.

They stopped a few feet from the Rainbow Squids and Giovanni. Alexis eyed the statue. It was still charging, though she wasn't surprised—she would be dead had it fired.

"Geez, it's even bigger in-person!" Agent 1 remarked. "How are we gonna get up there?"

"I don't know, but we'll find a way," Agent 2 replied.

The Rainbow Squids turned around, confused. "Who are you?" Yuri asked.

Inigo studied them for a few moments, and then he gasped. "They're...!"

"The New Squidbeak Splatoon," Giovanni revealed. "I think you are too late."

"Huh? How so?" Agent 4 asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're not gonna let an octoslob stop us," the grey-haired inkling scoffed.

Gio winced. "No, let me explain."

"We don't have time to listen to you!" the short-haired inkling snapped.

"No, you should listen to him," Octavia defended, stepping up. "Just look at the statue! Can't you see it's being inked already?!"

"It's being _what?_ " Agent 1 perplexed. The three inklings looked at the statue. Via was right—it _was_ being inked. Pink covered its chest and neck. Ride rails circled it, and most notably, Off the Hook's helicopter was circling it, too. It dropped some glowing bombs, yellow lights now waving around from behind it.

"What do you know?" Agent 2 remarked, blinking. "You're right. But who's blowing up all those bombs?"

Agent 4 walked up to the binoculars. "Can I use this?" she asked Yuri.

He gave her a coin. "Go ahead."

The young girl pushed it down to her height and looked into it, scanning the statue. She couldn't see anyone. She then turned it towards the glowing helicopter. An old inkling was waving his cane around, while a green-haired inkling lied unconscious next to him.

"Agent 1? Agent 2?" Alexis looked over her shoulder to look at the cousins. "I think you wanna see this."

The black-haired inkling bounded over to her and looked through the binoculars. "Wha! That's Gramps!"

"Gramps?!" The grey-haired inkling pushed her out of the way and looked through the binoculars herself. "Holy carp, that really is Gramps!"

"Agent 3's there, too," Agent 4 told them. "But..."

"Looks like she's out cold," Agent 2 remarked.

"Agent 3, too?! They found each other after all!" Agent 1 exclaimed. "But what happened?" She took the binoculars back. "Why is she like that?"

"Might as well ask her when she gets back," she responded. "That's the only thing we can do."

"So we're just gonna sit here?" Alexis groaned, slumping against the metal railing. "We can't just do nothing! We don't even know if the squid inking that's friendly or not."

More glowing bombs dropped from the helicopter, these ones glowing magenta as they stuck to the statue's arm. The black-haired inkling turned the binoculars towards the statue, and her jaw dropped.

"That's an octoling inking the statue!" she declared, throwing her head up.

"An octoling?!" her cousin gasped. "Never thought I'd see the day where they do something good!"

"Hey!" Gio protested.

"Should we help them?" Agent 1 suggested.

"I think they got this covered," Agent 2 rejected. "But, if they try something when they get over here, then we'll stop them."

"Right," Agent 4 agreed with a nod. "They won't be doing anything funny when I'm around."

Giovanni looked over at the short-haired inkling, a perplexed look on his face. "I never see you before," he pointed out. "Who are you?"

"Me?" She blinked. "I'm Agent 4."

"Agent 4..." He scanned her, and his eyes widened. Suddenly, Giovanni started laughing. "Oh my cod. Ha ha!" He gripped his stomach with one hand and caught himself on the railing with the other.

Perry looked at him, confused. "What's so funny?"

"Ha ha ha!" he continued to laugh, looking at Alexis with tears in his eyes. "I- Ha! Wow-! So that is why! Ha ha! You hate me all this time! You were an agent! Recruit after Agent 3 left with the old man! Ha ha ha ha!"

The purple-haired boy frowned. "I don't get it."

Agent 4, however, was horrified. _Gio figured it out that easily,_ she thought. _How easily can Octavia figure it out? Or any of the other Rainbow Squids, for that matter?_

She turned back to the statue. More glowing bombs dropped from the helicopter. Blue lights now shot from the head, more than ever before. The cannon lights were glowing duller now, giving her a dash of hope. In the background, a different song began to play, this one a rendition of Ebb & Flow.

 _"B-B-ZURT!"_ Tartar's voice beeped. "The time is nigh, NILS! _This world must be pulverized!_ " As it spoke, the statue's head slowly became covered in pink ink. However, it was at a slower rate than the other bombs Four had witnessed. Eight was struggling.

"C'mon!" Agent 1 cheered. "You can do it!" Giovanni pulled a megaphone out and handed it to the black-haired inkling. "I believe in you!" she shouted into it.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "When did you get that?" he asked him.

Gio shrugged. "I buy it before I came here."

Agent 2 took the megaphone next. "Don't fail us now! Save Inkopolis when we can't!"

"I'm taking that," Roy announced, swiping it out of the grey-haired inkling's hand. Facing the statue, he said, "If we die, I'm beating you up in heaven!"

"Roy!" Octavia gasped. She took it from him and began her speech. "Please, save us! Save everyone! I know I wouldn't forgive myself if I was in your position!"

Yuri took it next. "Go, go, go! I know you'll win!"

Bonnie proceeded to take the megaphone. "Win. That's all I ask."

It was now Inigo's turn to speak. "Don't mess this up. I'm counting on you."

Perry grabbed the megaphone. "If I die, then the world can't be blessed by my splat-tastic raps! So make sure I don't die!"

"So selfish..." Giovanni muttered. He took the speaker from Perry and held it up to his mouth. "I love being able to battle inklings and enjoy the sun. If there is no Inkopolis to live in, then it is a fate worse than death. Do not condemn the world to darkness, never again!"

The statue had become covered in more pink ink, but there were still a few spots clear of ink, revealing the marble underneath. Only two blue lights shone from the statue now. Just how much time did that octoling have left? Unfortunately, there was no way to find out.

The green-haired octoling presented the megaphone to Agent 4, bowing. "It is all you now."

Hesitantly, she picked up the megaphone from his hands and raised it. Then, she began to speak.

"Octoling, I don't even know if you can hear me, but whatever you do, do _not_ give up. I know the future seems bleak right now, but you're the only one that can save it. If Agent 3 and I were both able to save the world on two separate occasions, then let this be the third occasion. But this time, you're saving it. It seems impossible in my mind, but deep down in my heart, I guess it's true not all octolings are bad."

She sighed, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"You might be the person to help me realize that. And if you want to prove me wrong, you better save Inkopolis. For me. For the New Squidbeak Splatoon. For my friends. For my family. For all of Inkopolis—no, the entire world. You're the kid that determines the fate of the world. Don't screw it up. So, live on to prove me wrong, and win!"

As soon as she finished, the last bomb blew up, covering the last spot with pink ink. The ride rails surrounding it disappeared, and she saw a tiny figure fall off of them. The glowing helicopter was flying towards it, and a few moments later, a pink trail soared through the sky, landing on the platform below. However, a robotic voice began to speak once more. Tartar.

"Number 10,008..." it started, the voice trailing off. "No test subject has ever worked so hard to spoil my plans... But now you will blend into...the perfect world the professor envisioned."

"What...?" Alexis lowered the megaphone. "But..."

"It should've stopped," Agent 2 muttered in disbelief.

"What's going on?!" Agent 1 cried.

"Farewell, 10,008," Tartar finished. "Farewell to you and that worthless cesspool of a city..."

Energy gathered around the cannon, a turquoise light glowing brighter and brighter, to the point where it was blinding. Agent 4 glanced behind her. Some citizens watching the ordeal were huddling together, fear shining in their eyes. She glanced at the Rainbow Squids. They were looking away from the light as well.

"No...!" Via sobbed, looking behind her. "We're all gonna..." Agent 4 looked over at her sister, meeting her orange eyes, wet with tears. She gave a small smile. "Heh, you kinda look like..." Her voice trailed off as she looked towards the ground, sniffling.

The short-haired inkling looked at the other Rainbow Squids. Bonnie walked over to Via and hugged her, also crying. Roy gripped the railing, pounding on it and cursing before breaking down and covering his eyes, crying. Yuri was by Perry's side, both of them horrified as they looked at the cannon. Inigo looked away from the group, covering his eyes. Giovanni was also horrified, though he stood away from the group.

Looking behind her, the Squid Sisters were hugging each other, hysterical as they blurted out apologies to one another.

"I'm sorry for calling you a grandma, Marieeee," Agent 1 cried. "And running awaayyyy!"

"And I'm sorry for being a terrible cousin," Agent 2 sobbed. "I should've noticed something was wrong earlier..."

Agent 4 took one final look at the statue. At last, it fired, a swirling beam of turquoise ink flying towards them. She closed her eyes, expecting the pain that came with being splatted shortly thereafter.

_I'm sorry..._

It appeared the Mollusc Era was about to meet an unfortunate end.

_"Boo-YAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

Alexis opened her eyes. A loud guitar rift sounded as a beam of rippling, bright pink ink shot from below the glowing helicopter, towards the beam of turquoise ink. They collided with one another, fighting to overtake one another. At first, it seemed like the statue's beam would win, but just as it seemed like it was going to tear through the helicopter, the high-pitched voice that sounded the 'Booyah' reverberated throughout the city, the pink beam shooting straight through the mouth of the statue. Various items spilled from it as it fell apart, a light shining from within. One final gargle sounded from Tartar as the statue's eye exploded, sinking the statue into the ocean. It still stuck out from an angle, with turquoise ink staining the water, but it was ultimately harmless.

Eight had done it. She saved Inkopolis after all.

"...Huh?" asked Callie. Agent 4 turned around to look at her. "We're not splatted?"

Giovanni looked back towards the group, smiling. "We are alive."

"Thank cod we're alive!" Yuri exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye.

Roy turned around to face them and chuckled. "The mad lad did it. She saved Inkopolis."

"You think our encouragement helped?" the yellow-haired inkling asked, leaning against the railing.

"Of course it did," Via said, standing up straight. "Even if she didn't hear us, we were with her in spirit."

Bonnie looked back towards the ocean. "I wonder what they're doing," she spoke up.

Perry turned in her direction. "Oh yeah! They're still there! Even Off the Hook!"

"Ya hear that booyah?" the wavy-haired inkling asked, excited. "It sounded like Pearl!"

"Dead serious, that's Pearl," he agreed. "She and Eight both saved Inkopolis, then!"

Callie and Marie looked at them in confusion. "...Who's 'Eight?'" the latter asked.

"Apparently, that's what Pearl and Marina call that octoling," Inigo explained. "She was talking into a friend's walkie talkie, you see."

"Mhm, just last week," Giovanni confirmed, crossing his arms.

"Hmm..." Agent 2 put her hand on her chin, setting her Hero Charger down by her side. "I'll have to ask this 'Eight' a lot of questions, then."

The group continued to talk among themselves when suddenly, they heard whirring from overhead. Alexis looked up to see the glowing helicopter, hovering a few yards above them.

"Huh?" she muttered.

"Yo, Cap," Pearl's voice started, "ya want us to drop you off here?"

"I mean, this _is_ Inkopolis Bay..." Marina trailed off. "I don't know if it's a good idea."

"It's fine by me," replied a new, elderly voice. "Some scallywags won't stop me."

Agent 1 gasped. "Gramps?"

"Huh?" An old man with a thick beard looked over the platform, looking down on them with large, bulging eyes. "Why, Agent 1 and Agent 2! Fancy seeing you here! And a bunch of other buckos, too!"

 _"GRAMPS!"_ The black-haired inkling turned into a squid and super-jumped up to the platform, hugging him. "I missed you so much!"

"Nice to see you again, Gramps," Agent 2 greeted, bringing a hand up to her face. "Haven't seen you in like, a year."

"I know!" the old inkling agreed. "We just got caught up in this. It's so nice to finally see my grandsquids."

"C'mon, Gramps," the grey-haired inkling said, "we should get you down."

"Well..." Marina started. "We'll need to land. I don't think we have a rope or ladder."

"Then that's that. Stand back, squidkids!" Pearl announced. "We're bringing the heli down!"

The Rainbow Squids, Agents 2 and 4, and Giovanni ran closer to the lobby building, watching at the helicopter flew closer to the ground, the platform hanging from it contacting the concrete. Agent 1 helped her Gramps off the platform, and he rebalanced himself with a cane that suspiciously looked like a Bamboozler. A pink-haired octoling hopped off next, and she walked in front of a green-haired inkling, who was clutching her head. She helped her off, and now, only Off the Hook remained on the platform.

"Thank you for everything, Pearl and Marina," the octoling told the duo.

"Any time, Eight." Pearl did a gesture, smiling. "Any time."

"We should get back to the square now, Pearlie," Marina told her fellow idol. "We don't want to miss the next newscast."

"Oh, yeah, that's coming up," the pale-skinned idol grumbled. She pointed up to the helicopter. "All you, Rina."

The dark-skinned idol nodded. "We'll see you later, Eight! You're welcome anytime at the studio."

"Goodbye." Eight raised a hand and waved.

The idols super-jumped up to the actual helicopter, now lifting up again. They waved goodbye as they flew away, soon becoming mere specks in the distance. After they and the other helicopters were gone, Alexis returned to attention to the people surrounding her.

"So..." Agent 2 started. "Mind explaining who this is?" She pointed at Eight.

"Her?" The old man looked over at the curly-haired octoling. "Oh, that's Agent 8. She's an honorary member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon!"

"Honorary?" Agent 8 gasped and bowed. "T-thank you."

Callie turned to face Agent 3, who was groaning. "What happened to Three?"

"...I don't know," the green-haired inkling spoke up. Agent 4 jumped at the sound of her voice. "Something about... Ngh!" She gripped the side of her head again, nearly collapsing.

"Agent 3!" The curly-haired octoling ran over to her and helped her up.

"S-Sorry," she apologized through gritted teeth. "Just a bad headache. Don't worry 'bout me."

"Why shouldn't we worry?" Agent 2 asked, putting a hand up. "This is the worst you've been in a while."

"Anyways, could we get an explanation?" Agent 1 clasped her hands together. "Please...?"

"Agent 3's mind," the old man revealed, "was hijacked."

"By...some ooze," the green-haired girl commented. "I don't remember anything else."

"That's..." The black-haired inkling went unusually silent, her lips tightly sealed.

"Anyways, who's that?" The old inkling pointed his cane at Agent 4.

"That's Agent 4," Marie explained. "Our newest recruit. Well, I guess until Agent 8 came along."

"Ahoy, Agent 4!" he exclaimed. "I guess you heard the spiel from Agents 1 and 2, aye? If you don't know who I am, I'm Cap'n Cuttlefish!"

"It's so nice to meet you at last!" the short-haired girl exclaimed, shaking at last. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Heh," Agent 3 laughed weakly. "Guess I was right..." Her hand moved momentarily from her right eye, revealing it to be cloudy. She covered it as quickly as she had uncovered it. Her exposed eye focused on Agent 4. "I'm Agent 3," she introduced herself. "I was with Cap'n until the whole metro mess happened."

"Agent 3!" Alexis bounded up her, a huge smile on her face. "I finally get to properly meet you at last!"

She blinked. "'Properly?'"

"...Never mind. Anyways, we gotta catch you up on a lotta things!"

"Do not stress her," Agent 8 scolded her with a frown. "She just wake up."

"Ah... Maybe later, then?"

"You're too nice, Eight," Three muttered. "I'm fine. You can tell me when we get back to Octo Valley."

"...About that..." Four tapped her foot on the ground nervously.

"What? Did something happen to it?"

"No! Just... Well..." _How am I gonna word this?_ Before she could speak, Giovanni walked up to the three agents, keeping a straight face. The bronze-skinned agent let out a sigh of relief. _Thank cod I don't have to explain it now._

"You're an octoling," the green-haired inkling noted. Her eyes widened upon noticing another detail. "Are those my clothes?!"

"Yes, and yes," Giovanni confessed. "Not the shirt and shoes, but this hat is yours." He took off the short beanie and held it out. "I wanted to give it back to you."

Agent 3 eyed the beanie, though she did nothing.

"Oh! And..." He reached into his pocket and took out a green, squid-shaped cellphone. "This belongs to you, too."

"My phone!" she gasped. She took it from his hand and turned it on. "It's even charged, too! I thought I would have to buy a new one!" She looked back up at Giovanni. "Thanks."

"What about your hat?" he asked, shaking it.

"...Keep it," she replied. "I need to buy a new one anyways."

"Really?" He blinked. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome." Three gave a weak smile. She groaned again, the grip on her head getting tighter. "This dang headache..."

Alexis frowned. _Just how bad is this headache...? I hope she gets better soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S DONE! Thank you all for reading this far, and thank you everyone who has ever commented on this fanfiction on either site I post it on. It makes my day seeing your comments, and sometimes, it's the push needed to continue this fanfiction. On FFN, "The Rainbow Squids" has about 2,500 views as of writing, and on AO3, it has about 1,000 views! Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been waiting so long to write this chapter - Agent 8's fight with hijacked Agent 3, the Rainbow Squids witnessing Agent 8's fight with the NILS Statue, Gramps and the Squid Sisters' reunion, Gio returning Agent 3's phone to her, all of it! Stay tuned for part 2 of this little arc tomorrow, where we will see the aftermath of everything.


	78. Into the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cap'n Cuttlefish invites the Rainbow Squids to Octo Canyon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: implied suicide attempt (which was stopped before it could occur).

_Bonnie's PoV_

"We oughta get back to Octo Valley, right?" the old inkling announced, waving his bamboo cane.

"Actually, we relocated to Octo Canyon," the grey-haired inkling corrected him. "It was closer."

"We'll explain when we get back!" the black-haired inkling chirped.

Agent 3 looked up at her allies, clad in clothes similar to hers. "But...my gear." Her voice came out pained as she gripped the side of her head, covering her right eye. She almost fell over, but Agent 8 caught her before she could, pink eyes gleaming with worry.

"I can get them," Agent 4 offered, hopping over to her. "I've been there."

"Huh...?" She frowned. "Why?"

"She got curious," Agent 2 explained.

"Why not me?" Giovanni offered, stepping up to them. "I can help you."

The short-haired girl glared at him. "This is our personal business, not yours."

The old inkling shrugged. "If he's a fan of the Calamari Inkantation, then he's no foe of mine."

Agent 1 looked over at the Rainbow Squids, keeping a straight face. "You squids should probably go home. It'd be a little dangerous to go with us."

"But what if we're curious?" Yuri argued. "We watched Agent 8 ink that statue, and you guys are all talkin' about things I have no clue about!"

"'The hero's path is a lonely one,'" Agent 4 rejected, clasping her hands together, her foot on one leg, as if she were meditating. She opened her orange eyes and remarked, "It's top secret!"

"What's the harm in letting these buckos know?" the elder then commented. "They're friends with that octoling." He pointed at Gio, much to Bonnie's surprise. "My gut tells me he let them in on some things."

"What?" Agent 3's eyes shot daggers at her mentor. "You're OK with this?"

"Don't know about you, Three, but Gramps seems like a changed squid after all that," the black-haired inkling noted. "Maybe a hero's path can be walked with a lot of buddies! We've gotten so big, haven't we?"

"Yeah, along with Gramps, there's me, you, Three, Four, and now Agent 8," Agent 2 agreed. She turned to the Rainbow Squids. "You guys rival Octa Prisma, right? As far as I know, you're the only group who knows they're octolings, aside from the New Squidbeak Splatoon."

"New...Squidbeak Splatoon?" Bonnie tilted her head, confused.

"I saw a record with just the 'Squidbeak Splatoon' in my dad's office once," Octavia said. "There's a new one now?"

"Yeah," the green-haired inkling confirmed. "Cap'n Cuttlefish was part of it during the Great Turf War."

"Wow!" Perry gasped. "A veteran of the Great Turf War! Didn't think they were still alive and kickin'."

Inigo bowed. "It's an honor to be in your presence, sir."

"Thanks!" Cap'n Cuttlefish exclaimed. "Now, promise me that you'll keep this a secret. We don't want everything leaking out."

"I promise," Bonnie muttered, placing her hand over her heart. The other squids muttered in agreement.

"Alright! New Squidbeak, let's go!" He pointed his cane up into the air, and they started walking back to the train station. The employee there initially did not let the agents nor Cap'n Cuttlefish pass, but Perry pulled out a few stacks of coins from his wallet as a bribe. He took the cash and directed them to the train they had to come to Inkopolis Bay on. Cap'n Cuttlefish sat in the front with the agents, but the Rainbow Squids and Giovanni sat further away from them, in the middle.

Octavia looked around, puzzled. "Where's Alexis?" she asked. "She was with us earlier."

"Maybe she took a train back to Inkopolis Square before us?" Bonnie suggested.

"Yeah, but she said she'll be back," she argued. "Maybe if we waited a little longer, she would've joined us again."

"Oh..." The beige-skinned girl looked down at her feet. "Now I feel bad. But she's 15 now, isn't she? She'll be fine."

"Yeah, but I can't help but worry..." She sighed. "Guess it's just big sister instincts."

"Yeah, maybe it's that."

"Well, as long as she comes home tonight, then I have nothing to worry about."

Bonnie took out her phone to check the time. "It's getting late," she commented, "and it was sunset before we got on the train. It might be dark by the time we even get to wherever those squids are taking us." At her last words, she gulped. _I hope my parents don't get mad... I should probably text them._

As she started to text her parents, Octavia made a small sound of realization. "Carp, you're right! I gotta tell Mom." She took out her phone as well, furiously texting away.

Behind them, someone sighed. "Parents..."

Bonnie turned around to see Giovanni, lying back in his seat with his feet pressed against the back of the seat in front of him. His arm was on the arm of the seat, his hand pressing against his cheek. A distant expression was on his face.

"What, what about parents?" the blue-haired girl asked, tilting her head.

"Hm?" Via turned around as well. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"...I do not live with mine," he muttered.

"Yeah," the bronze-skinned inkling deadpanned, "that was obvious."

"Do you miss your mom and dad?" she asked. _Would I miss them if they were gone, too?_ she found herself wondering. She never particularly liked them, always dreaming a way to be free from their influence. Within a year, perhaps she can move out, and her dreams can become a reality. But she still _loved_ them. They were her parents, who wouldn't love their parents?

Giovanni ignored the question, changing the subject. "It is a shame you have to meet Agent 3 as she is," he remarked. "She is strong...but right now, she is weak from that headache of hers."

"You called her 'the Dreaded,' right?" Octavia asked him.

He nodded. "Yes. No octoling wants to mess with her. Eight is brave for going with her."

"Seriously going on with the whole 'inklings are bad' thing?" she scolded him. "I thought we went over this?"

"Agent 3 is different!" he argued, his voice getting higher as he sped up. "You do not understand! The Rainbow Squids are strong, but Agent 3 is the strongest of all inklings! No one can match her strength! She-"

"Calm down!" Via snapped. "She's not gonna hurt you!"

"Yeah, I'm sure she has no issue with octolings," Bonnie added, fiddling her thumbs.

Giovanni bit his lip, and he sighed. "I...'put my foot in my mouth,' as you call it. I mean that her strength is to be admired. Perhaps I should have worded it differently."

"Sounded like you were kinda scared of her," the blue-haired girl muttered.

The green-haired boy frowned and turned away from them, crossing his arms. He glanced at them momentarily before returning his attention to the floor. "Look away," he grumbled. "You would break your back if we crash."

"What are the chances that we'll cra-" Via started.

"Just sit down," Bon-Bon interrupted her, turning around and sitting back down in her seat. "I think he's done talking, anyways."

The wavy-haired girl sighed and returned to her seat. A few minutes later, the train slowed to a stop, and the conductor announced that they had arrived at the Inkopolis Square train station. The door opened, and the agents rose from their seats, getting off one at a time. Agents 1 and 2 were the first ones off, helping Cap'n Cuttlefish get down the stairs. Agent 4 followed, then Agents 3 and 8. The Rainbow Squids and Giovanni got up next, walking off of the train. They regrouped, and they proceeded to leave the station.

"Alright!" Agent 4 chirped, pumping a fist. "Octo Canyon, here we come!"

Agent 3 chuckled. "She has enthusiasm."

"Yeah, that's Four for you," Agent 2 snickered.

They walked towards Inkopolis Square, soon arriving in the familiar hub. Not many inklings were present at this time, the sun having almost completely dipped below the horizon. In the back of the area, towards the Crust Bucket, some jellyfish were skateboarding while a few inklings cheered them on. Other squids flowed in and out of the Deca Tower, and still others stopped at the studio window, watching Pearl and Marina talk among themselves. Upon seeing Off the Hook, Agent 8 raised a hand and waved at them. The dark-skinned idol lifted her head and smiled, waving back. Pearl noticed her and stood on the top of her beanbag, jumping up and waving as well. Some observers looked towards Eight, puzzled.

One inkling ran up to the curly-haired octoling, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Woah! Are you the one Off the Hook waved to? You must be superfresh! With that funky hairstyle of yours, too!" He proceeded to ramble on, the octoling's tentacles curling up.

Giovanni walked up to him and pushed him away. "Stop," he growled. "She does not want to talk to you."

The boy stuck his tongue out. "Meanie!" He ran away into the Deca Tower, out of sight.

Eight's tentacles relaxed. "You have no need to be the doing of that," she muttered.

"We would not be able to go to Octo Canyon if he watches," he defended.

She gasped and lowered her head, her tentacles now drooping. "My apologies... I did not know."

"Let's just get in here," the grey-haired inkling muttered, kicking the manhole cover next to Ammo Knights open.

"You first, Gramps!" the black-haired inkling instructed cheerfully.

"Thanks." The old inkling climbed down the manhole, closing it shut while he was at it. A few moments passed, and his grandsquids followed him, turning into squids and following him, one at a time. Hot pink and lime ink lingered for a few seconds before disappearing. Agent 4 followed them next, leaving orange ink behind.

"Can you turn into a squid?" Agent 8 asked Agent 3.

"Of course I can." She plopped to the ground, a green squid in her place. It was then Bonnie noticed her right eye—it was lighter than her other eye, an oddity among standard inklings.

"Umm... Agent 3?" the blue-haired girl asked, leaning over her. "Are you OK?"

"Of course she's not OK," Roy interjected, his tone blunt. "You didn't notice before?"

"I..." Her voice faltered, rubbing her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Agent 3 insisted, narrowing her eyes. "I can still do stuff as a squid. It's just a headache, that's all." She slipped through the grate, disappearing. Agent 8 frowned and followed her.

After the agents were gone, the Rainbow Squids looked among each other. Giovanni shrugged and turned into an octopus, disappearing into the manhole as well.

"Guess we have no other choice," Inigo remarked. He turned into a squid and jumped through the grate. The rest of the Rainbow Squids followed, travelling through the manhole.

They emerged in a grassy area, not too dissimilar from Octo Valley. However, it seemed much more well-kept compared to the other place. Some training dummies were located off to the side, and some birds perched on the fencing. A cabin was located in the corner, decorated with a few lanterns. Bonnie looked above her. Flags were strung between some metal poles, embellishing the logo of Cuttlegear. She lowered her head, returning to eye level. Cap'n Cuttlefish sat on a bench in front of the cabin. Next to him was Agent 3, holding up her phone. Next to her was Agent 8, her hands gripping the edge of the wooden bench. The remaining agents were circled around them, talking.

Agent 8 lifted her head, intrigued. "It is them!"

Agent 4, who had her back turned to them, turned around. "Oh! You squids! And octoling."

Agent 1 appeared next to the short-haired inkling. "We were just talking about what happened while Gramps was gone! Wanna take a listen?"

"I mean... Why not?" said Inigo with a shrug.

"Can't be _that_ bad," Yuri remarked.

"Guess we're making our circle bigger," Agent 2 remarked. The standing agents shuffled their feet in order for the newcomers to fit in.

"So, shall we start from the beginning? Or keep on going?" the old inkling asked.

"Gramps, your rap game really has improved, huh?" the grey-haired inkling commented. "Didn't know you had it in ya."

Cap'n Cuttlefish laughed. "Don't you worry, Agent 2! I'm still alive and kicking!"

"Anyways, let's start from the beginning! We haven't gotten that far yet," the black-haired inkling announced.

"Alright, alright," Agent 4 sighed. "Anyways, as you all know, the Great Zapfish went missing...again."

"I still can't believe it!" the old inkling exclaimed. "Good thing Agent 2 recruited you, bucko!"

"Yeah, and that's the next part," Agent 1 continued. "Agent 2 recruited Agent 4! She was just standing in the square one day, waiting for someone to come up to her and follow her. Just like what happened with you and Agent 3, Gramps!"

"Wait," Inigo interjected. "Didn't Callie go missing, too?"

"Callie _what_?!" Agent 3's head shot up from her phone, eyes wide. "Please tell me I didn't hear that correctly."

"You heard me," he reiterated. "Callie went missing."

"Huh?" Cap'n Cuttlefish looked between Agent 1 and the Rainbow Squids. He returned his attention to Agent 2 and Agent 4. "Start talking."

"OK, OK, yeah, Callie went missing as well," Four confirmed.

"More specifically, she was kidnapped by the Octarians," Agent 2 revealed.

The Rainbow Squids gasped. "What?!" Roy exclaimed. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Yeah, how can she be kidnapped? She absolutely slays with that roller!" Yuri agreed.

"Oh, you whippersnappers," the old inkling said with a sigh. "I'm telling you! Barely anyone believes us when we say the Octarians are behind everything!"

"I think it's more like, their leader has a grudge against inklings," Agent 1 spoke up. "He's been trying to get revenge for the Great Turf War for years!"

Bonnie dipped her head. Could it really be that the Octarians still held a grudge against squidkind? She guessed that it made sense. Up until she met Giovanni, she spent her entire life thinking that Octarians had gone virtually extinct, or at the very least, they would never pose a threat to Inkopolis ever again. Yet, most octolings she met harbored no ill will towards inklings—if any, it was because they were taught to hate her species. Octa Prisma had proved it over and over again to be the case.

"Anyways, DJ Octavio...brainwashed Callie," Agent 2 continued, her eyebrows furrowing. "I don't like thinking about it."

"DJ Octavio!" Agent 3 gasped. "Where's he?"

"Over there." She pointed behind the Rainbow Squids. They turned around to see a giant, magenta octopus wearing a helmet and some shutter shades, sitting in a snow globe. A green mark glowed on one of his muscular tentacles. He was scowling, his arms crossed.

"... _That's_ DJ Octavio?" Perry laughed. "He's a lot less intimidating than the textbooks!"

"Yeah, and he looks a lot different, too," Bonnie remarked.

"What are these hipsters doing?" the octopus spoke, his glare getting narrower. "Ya recruiting new agents?"

"No, they're more like allies," Agent 2 remarked. "We have no intention to recruit them."

"But we could recruit them!" Cap'n Cuttlefish chirped. "We don't need to right now, but we could."

"Eh..." Bonnie looked over her shoulder and frowned. "I'm not interested."

"Me neither," Octavia agreed. "I'd rather just keep playing turf war and staying fresh."

"'Staying fresh.'" DJ Octavio scoffed. "That's what those codforsaken Squid Sisters always say."

"Actually, now that I think 'bout it..." Yuri started, putting his hand on his chin. "Callie and the Great Zapfish came back at the same time, didn't they?"

"Oh, yeah," Perry agreed. "Then that means... The Great Zapfish was also kidnapped by the Octarians?"

"Yeppers!" Agent 1 exclaimed. "It went missing because it was kidnapped. Both times."

"Poor Great Zapfish," Bonnie murmured. "It's been through a lot."

"So... What happened when it was saved?" Octavia then asked.

"Well... I sent Agent 4 after DJ Octavio to rescue both the Great Zapfish and Callie," Agent 2 continued. "They fought, and with my special low tide ink, I was able to free Callie from Octavio's brainwashing. With the power of Calamari Inkantation, Four defeated DJ Octavio and freed the Great Zapfish."

"I hope more octolings were freed because of the new Calamari Inkantation," Giovanni interjected. "It changed my life and Eight's."

"Wait, how'd you get Marie?" Perry asked. "You can't do Calamari Inkantation without both Squid Sisters!"

"You birdbrains!" Octavio snapped, grabbing a wasabi stick and waving it at them. "They _are_ the Squid Sisters!"

"Wait, _what?_ " the purple-haired inkling blurted out.

"Uh..." Agents 1 and 2 looked at each other. The latter sighed, taking off the hat and mask she was wearing. "Guess there's no use hiding it now."

"Huh?" Roy turned around, surprised. "Then are you really-?"

"Yeah, we're the Squid Sisters," Agent 1 confessed, taking off her beanie and sunglasses. She did their signature pose. "Stay fresh!"

"Starstruck, aren't you?" the other inkling remarked.

"Wow..." Bonnie breathed.

"It's the Squid Sisters, in the flesh!" Octavia exclaimed. "Who would've thought they'd be here?"

"T-The Squid Sisters!" Agent 8 cried out. She started curling a tentacle around her finger, anxious. "I have no thoughts on introduction to them, yet! I must think, now."

"Please, no formal greetings necessary," Marie calmed her down. "We're just people."

"W-What? You two change my life!" the octoling girl defended. "I no would be here if not for you!"

"Woah, that's fresh!" Callie remarked. "Even today, we're changing lives."

"That's the power of Calamari Inkantation for ya!" Cap'n Cuttlefish exclaimed. "Any fan of that heavenly melody is a friend of mine. I don't see species."

Agent 3 sighed. "Maybe I should reveal my identity while you're at it," she joked, her voice tired.

"Oh, that is reminding me," Agent 8 said suddenly, turning to the inkling sitting next to her. "What should I be calling you?"

"You...want my name?" Eight nodded. "...I guess it's alright with you." She leaned towards the octoling's ear, when she suddenly let out a grunt of pain and snapped away from her, dropping her phone as well. She gripped the side of her head, covering her cloudy eye.

"Three!" Agent 1—or rather, Callie—gasped. She ran over to her, panicked. "You OK?"

"I-Ngh!" She looked away from the black-haired inkling, her eyes squeezed shut. "It...hurts!"

"What? Three! Don't die on us!" Agent 2—Marie—ran up to the green-haired inkling as well. "We only just got you back!"

"I'm not...gonna die," Agent 3 snapped, clenching her teeth.

"You kept denying that headache of yours!" Agent 4 piped up, clenching a fist. "You should be sleeping!"

"I..." The green-haired inkling relaxed, lifting her hand away from her head. She opened her eyes, blinking. "...It's gone. It's completely gone."

"Huh?" Callie tilted her head, confused.

"That was fast," Yuri commented. "See? She got better in no time!" He crossed his arms, grinning.

"Um... Three?" Eight leaned over to look at the rest of Three's face. "Your eye. It has the weirdness."

"My eye?" Her eyes widened. "That's what's wrong!" Upon the comment, she frowned. She got up and pulled out a Hero Shot, walking over to the test dummies. She aimed her weapon at it and fired, only for her shots to miss, landing a few inches in front of them. Slowly, she put her weapon away, turning towards the group again. At last, Bonnie could see the eye she had been covering clearly.

It was a milky turquoise, contrasting her green ink. Bonnie did recall that Cap'n Cuttlefish said that Agent 3's mind was 'hijacked.' Was this a side effect?

"...You're blind," Marie said at last. "You went blind in one eye."

Agent 3 didn't respond, walking over to the bench. She bumped into Marie, apologized, and picked up her phone.

"Huh?" she muttered. "There's a new message." She swiped up on her phone screen and read the message. "Oh no," she spoke. "Oh, no." She put her phone away and started dashing towards the exit of Octo Canyon. "The bridge!" was the only clue to where she was going, as she quickly slipped away through the grate.

"Dang it; you think after that she would finally decide to take a nap!" Agent 4 shouted.

"Which bridge?" Agent 8 asked, standing up.

"Hammerhead Bridge, if I had to guess," Marie replied.

"Yeah, it's her favorite!" Callie affirmed.

"You think she'll hurt herself?" Octavia questioned, tapping her foot on the ground, anxious.

"Yes!" the curly-haired octoling responded, panicked.

"Eh, no she won't," the grey-haired inkling deadpanned.

"We should still find her," Inigo pointed out. "Just in case."

"We'll all have to super jump if we want to catch up with her," announced Marie, putting on her hat and mask once more.

"What are we waiting for?" challenged Callie as she put on her beanie and sunglasses. "Let's go!"

"Stay here, Gramps," the grey-haired inkling called as she ran over to the manhole leading back to Inkopolis. "Watch over Octavio for us."

"You squids better come," Agent 4 demanded as she joined the other agents, her orange gaze facing the Rainbow Squids. "Eleven's better than four!" She slipped through the grate, disappearing.

"Let's go," Roy announced, running to the manhole. "I don't have a good feelin' about this."

"Me neither!" Bonnie admitted, following him.

The Rainbow Squids traveled from Octo Canyon, back to Inkopolis Square. The agents had just super-jumped, leaving trails of ink in the sky. Giovanni did not wait a single second, turning into an octopus and immediately super-jumping after them. The group of inklings then followed them, soaring through the sky in the forms of squids. Bonnie spun around, reverting to her kid form, as Hammerhead Bridge came into view. Ever since it was completed, the company owning it banned any ink battles from occurring there.

They landed on the sidewalk, scraping against it. "Agh..." the red-haired inkling groaned, rising to his feet. "That was far." He wiped some dirt off his new leggings.

"Yeah, I'm not jumping that far, never again," Inigo agreed, standing up. Given that he was wearing shorts, his injuries were visible.

"Where's Agent 3?" Agent 4 asked, looking around.

"She is probably far ahead," Agent 8 noted. It was here Bonnie noticed a green mark running down her back. _That definitely makes her stand out,_ she thought.

"No, actually, I can see her," Agent 2 revealed, squinting. "She's just really small."

"Then let's catch up to her!" Agent 1 announced, beginning to run.

"Oh, yeah, that's what we're here for, right?" Yuri remarked. "Let's go! We oughta catch up!" The yellow-haired inkling started running after the black-haired inkling, and with that, the rest of the group began to run after them.

Cars soared past them, ignoring the scene going on off to the side. Bonnie's knees stung with pain, but she couldn't give up now, just to rest. She had to see this through to the end.

She wasn't usually an optimist, but she believed that the rest of the Rainbow Squids shared her sentiment. And she believed that they would catch up to the green-haired agent.

She heard Agent 3's voice, calling out something. It was so faint that she couldn't make out what it was. Eventually, she saw another inkling in the distance, other than the green-haired agent. Another green-haired inkling, who appeared to be older than anyone present, was pressed against the railing of the bridge, staring out into the river below. She couldn't make out any other details other than that.

The figure started to turn into a green blob of ink, when Agent 3 tackled them, knocking them both to the floor. The group came to a stop a few feet in front of them, where they found her hugging the other inkling, appearing to be male, who was in shock. He lowered his head, looking down at her.

"I'm s-sorry," she sobbed, "that I took so long to c-come back. I'm not leaving you alone this long again! Never again!"

The other inkling gave a weak smile. "You're still my little sister deep down, huh." He proceeded to hug her back. "I should be a better brother..."

The group watched the scene, a bittersweet feeling in the air. Bonnie wiped a tear from her eye. "Two siblings...reunited at last."

"Yeah... It's gonna make _me_ cry if they keep this up," Roy commented.

"Do they...live together?" Eight suddenly asked them, much to Bonnie's surprise.

"Sounds like it," Yuri replied.

"Why'd you ask?" Agent 4 then inquired.

"I...still need the place to be living," the curly-haired octoling admitted.

"Why not live with Agent 4?" Via suggested. "She seems nice."

"I already said no," the short-haired inkling pointed out. "I don't want two older siblings."

"But she's not related to you," the blue-haired girl noted.

"Y-You get the point!" she defended.

"What about me?" Giovanni then offered. "I am the only one in my house."

"I do not know you good," Eight rejected.

"Why not live with Off the Hook?" Perry suggested. "Ya already know 'em."

"I do not want to do bothering them."

"You could live in the cabin in Octo Canyon," proposed Inigo.

"DJ Octavio try to hypnotize me if that."

"So, point is...Agent 3 is the only squid left you can ask?" Octavia deduced. Eight nodded. "Then, go do it! What's the worst that can happen?"

"...She get the mad?"

"No, you'll just be rejected," the boy with the ponytail corrected. "It hurts at first, but you'll get over it."

"...Hm." Agent 8 turned towards the two siblings and nodded. "Yeah." She walked up to them, fiddling her thumbs. "Hello."

Agent 3's brother lifted his head. "Uh... Hi."

Agent 3 lifted her head as well. "Huh? Oh, Eight. Hi."

He looked down on her. "You know her?" She nodded.

"May I...live with you?" the curly-haired octoling asked, her tentacles tensing. "I do not have anywhere to go."

Three simply nodded before looking at her brother. "Please?"

"Well, since she's your friend..." The older inkling closed his eyes and smiled. "Sure."

"Thank you." Agent 8 dipped her head and bowed.

The two siblings stood up, looking at the curly-haired octoling. She was already a few inches taller than Agent 3, but Bonnie was surprised to learn that she was just barely taller than her brother, although she was wearing heels.

"It's getting dark," Three's brother remarked. "Let's go home."

"'Home,'" Eight muttered. "I like that word."

The three started walking away, down the bridge. Soon, they were gone, lost to the darkness. The day had ended at last.

Inigo turned to the Squid Sisters and Agent 4. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome," chirped Callie with a smile. "C'mon, Marie, let's go!"

"Mhm." The grey-haired inkling gave one last look at the Rainbow Squids and dipped her head. "Thank you." The duo proceeded to walk away, with Agent 4 trailing behind them. From there, the rest of the Rainbow Squids said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, ready to rest and prepare for the next day.

 _I hope everything goes well with Eight and Agent 3,_ Bonnie thought as she walked in the cool summer night. _There's just so much to think about..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And aftermath, done. Of course, Agent 3 gets a scar. It surprises me more when I don't see a scarred Agent 3. Though, hers is a lot more subtle than most other Agent 3s. While most have a giant green scar on the side of their head, Agent 3 here just has a blind, stained eye and a mark on the back of her head. Nothing too bad. It's a lot easier to hide, too. Anyways, the Rainbow Squids know about the New Squidbeak Splatoon now. How will this affect them in the future? Well, you'll just have to keep reading. Another point I'd like to make is Agent 8's height. I settled on 5'11" for her height without heels - the same as Inigo, Giovanni, and Oscar. But just how tall are her heels? They appear to be two inches, which brings her at 6'1" with heels... Yuri's height. She's one tall octo, that's for sure. This isn't the last you'll see of her, I promise. We're only just getting started! See you in 2021! (Finally, this chaotic year is ending.)


	79. Verdant Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rainbow Squids meet a familiar face.

_Inigo's PoV_

A week after the incident at Inkopolis Bay, the Rainbow Squids were back at their usual table in Inkopolis Square. However, the air had changed between the group. Now that they knew about the existence of the New Squidbeak Splatoon—Octavia caught Alexis up on everything that had happened that fateful day, nothing seemed to be the same anymore.

"It's still so crazy to think about," Perry muttered. "There's been a super-secret octo-fighting team, right under our noses."

"I know, right?" Octavia agreed. "Too bad we can't tell anyone about it."

"Yeah, we don't want to betray the old guy's trust," Bonnie added.

Alexis had her elbows up on the table, frowning. Distraught, she scrolled through her phone, studying whatever text may be on it. Inigo opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but she simply glanced over at him and shook her head.

"Could you ask what's up later?" the boy with the ponytail whispered to her sister, leaning over to the wavy-haired inkling. "I wish I could help, but if I don't know what's wrong, then I can't."

Via shrugged. "Leave her be. If she doesn't want to talk, fine."

Inigo sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. The events of the past month still stormed within his mind. One of the Vigilante's admirers had caught him without the mask, a giant statue almost blew Inkopolis to smithereens, and now the revelation of the New Squidbeak Splatoon to the Rainbow Squids. It was just so much to take in. He put his hands on his head, frustrated. _Maybe I should stay away for a few days,_ he considered. _Just lock myself in my house... Think this all through._

An exasperated sigh hissed through his teeth, garnering some odd looks from his friends.

"Geez, Inigo, maybe I should be asking _you_ what's wrong," the wavy-haired inkling sighed, shaking her head.

"It's just a lot to take in," he stated.

"With the whole New Squidbeak Splatoon thing?" Bonnie asked. "Yeah, I get it. I still can't wrap my head around it."

"Me neither," Yuri admitted. "But hey! At least we got some crime-fighters keeping us safe!"

"Yeah, that's the good part," Roy remarked. "And we're friends with them now, so that works to our advantage."

Inigo simply nodded, lowering his hands. But then, he noticed something.

Or rather, some _one_.

The indigo-haired boy looked up at the newcomers. A long-haired inkling girl approached up to them, wearing a sneaky beanie, a lime easy-stripe shirt, and punk blacks. The mask that came with the sneaky beanie covered her right eye, leaving one green eye to stare down at the Rainbow Squids. A small smile was on her lips. Another girl, who Inigo recognized as Agent 8, stood a little behind the other girl, her hands clasped in front of her. She now donned an Annaki Red Cuff and wore piranha moccasins on her feet. However, Inigo focused on the long-haired girl more. There was no mistaking who was now standing in front of them.

Geneva Gonati.

"GENEVA!" Roy immediately cried out. He launched himself from his seat and immediately hugged her. "You've been gone for so long!"

"Geneva!" Octavia exclaimed. "You're finally back!"

"I knew you'd come back, Geneva!" Yuri chirped. "I just didn't know when!"

"Huh?" Alexis lifted her head. "Oh, hey Geneva. Welcome back."

"Yeah, welcome back, Geneva," Bonnie said quietly with a smile.

"Geneva..." Inigo dipped his head and smiled. "Welcome back. I missed you."

"Hey! I missed ya too!" Perry piped up. "C'mon, how 'bout a hug?"

"Don't forget me!" Octavia turned into a squid and jumped from her chair, wrapping her arms around the long-haired inkling. The rest of the Rainbow Squids, minus Alexis, proceeded to hug her as well, eventually knocking her down from their combined weight. As Inigo squeezed his arms around her, his mind drifted back to when they dated. They hugged a lot.

This one was just platonic. Nothing deeper.

They got off of Geneva and stood up, circled around the green-haired girl. Eight simply watched the scene, frowning. She had her hand up to her mouth. She opened it to say something, but she quickly closed it.

"Hey, Eight," Octavia greeted. "Glad to see you're doing OK."

"Yes." The curly-haired octoling nodded. "Agent 3 is OK now. But her eye is still blind."

"Hey, she's recoverin'," Perry mused.

 _Seems like the blindness is permanent,_ Inigo thought with a frown. _She's a squidkid like the rest of us. Can she still play turf wars?_

"Seems like you know Geneva," Yuri remarked as he stretched his arms. "When did you two meet?"

"In..." Eight started.

"The Galleria," the long-haired girl interjected. "I helped her shop."

"Yes," the octoling confirmed. "She has the freshness."

"Well, you do look fresh in that!" Via complimented. "You're on your way to becoming one of the freshest squids on the block. ...Or octo. Since, y'know."

"Hm?" someone called. Inigo turned around to see that Octa Prisma were observing them. Giovanni stood up from his chair and gestured for his teammates to come with him. They approached them, much to Geneva's confusion.

"Who are you?" Yvonne asked the green-haired inkling, raising an eyebrow.

"That's what I should be asking you," she countered, shaking her head.

"Octa Prisma, this is Geneva," Inigo introduced. "Geneva, this is Octa Prisma."

" _Ohhh,_ you are Geneva!" the yellow-haired octoling exclaimed. "You did look familiar!"

"We are your team's rivals, Geneva," Brayden greeted, bowing. "Octa Prisma. It is nice to meet you."

"They're octolings," Yuri whispered, "in case you haven't noticed."

"I see," she simply stated.

"We...do not have red," Oscar pointed out.

"We only need a red member to complete Octa Prisma at last," Giovanni elaborated. "Unfortunately, red is a rare ink color, from my observations."

"What about pink?" Inigo suggested. "It's close enough to red, and it's way more common."

"Pink..." The green-haired octoling crossed his arms and closed his eyes, smirking. "Yes... That might work."

"Wow, I am disappointed," Brayden sighed, shaking his head.

"Um..." Eight started to speak, turning everyone's attention to her. "My ink is the pink. So is my eyes."

"Oh, Eight!" Peyton exclaimed. "You here!"

"Huh?" She looked over at the purple-haired octoling. The pale-skinned girl adjusted her glasses, smiling. "Ah, you are Peyton," the curly-haired girl recalled. "I remember."

"You know what Eight did?" Yuri asked Octa Prisma.

"No, what?" Iris replied, intrigued.

"She saved Inkopolis!" he cheered. "Isn't that superfresh?"

Eight blushed, embarrassed. "Yes, I did," she confirmed. "No longer do I have to be down there."

"That _is_ fresh," Oscar remarked, clapping. "Wishing I can do saving..."

"Alright, so your ink is pink," Giovanni continued. "However, there is one more thing I need to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Are you good with a charger?" he inquired.

"Yes, but-"

"Then you can join us," he interrupted the curly-haired octoling.

"Let me finish!" she protested. "I saying, that I have not used it for the very long. My aim good, but that all."

"I could teach you advanced techniques," Bonnie offered. "I'm good with a charger."

"Even this?" Eight pulled out an E-liter 4K, much to Inigo's surprise. It wasn't every day someone pulled out a weapon in the middle of Inkopolis Square. Especially a weapon as heavy as an E-liter.

"Um... I'm better with Squiffers, but that works," she concurred.

"Huh?" the girl with light brown skin blinked, then frowned. "But... You will not being as good."

"I have a few friends I could recommend ya," Perry suggested, pulling out his phone. "Want me to call 'em up?"

"I thought Lori rejected you," Yuri puzzled.

"Yeah, but we're still friends," he brushed it off. "Plus, I'm over it now."

"No, thank you," she muttered. "...Blue girl enough."

"My name's Bonnie," the blue-haired inkling pointed out.

"I am sorry, Bonnie," Eight apologized. "I will be remembering."

"It's fine," she assured her. "I never told you it."

"Anyways," Inigo spoke up, smiling. "Now that Geneva's back, we gotta have a proper welcome back party."

"Inigo, please." Geneva put her hand up, keeping a straight face. "I'm fine without a party. I'm just happy to finally see you guys again."

"But this is a big deal!" Roy exclaimed. "We haven't seen you in almost a year! Heck yeah we're throwing a party!"

"What about a battle?" Yuri suggested. "That'll get us pumped up for the party!"

"A battle?" The green-haired inkling blinked. "Yeah, that sounds good." She pulled out her Splattershot and twirled it her hand. "I even brought this. Was gonna do some turf wars anyways to get me back into the swing of things."

"Woo!" the yellow-haired inkling cheered. "This is gonna be fresh!"

"You'll be blown away, Geneva," Alexis commented. "I've gotten a lot better since you left."

She smirked. "We'll see about that."

"May we watch?" Eight asked, stepping next to Peyton.

"I may learn by the watch," the purple-haired octoling added. "Everyone say you good."

"I not want to," Iris snapped. "It will waste time."

"You don't have to," Inigo pointed out. "If you're the only one who doesn't want to watch, so be it."

"Ya gonna go with her?" Perry asked Brayden, cheekily smiling as he gazed at him.

"My choices are my choices," he deflected, crossing his arms.

"I am not forcing him to go with me," Iris added. "I be the bad girlfriend then." Inigo gave a small nod in agreement. It would be terrible if she forced Brayden to leave with her. Though, the blue-haired octoling seemed to follow her anywhere, no matter what it is.

"I will go," Brayden announced at last. He eyed the indigo-haired girl and murmured, "Sorry."

Iris simply sighed, dipping her head and turning around, now walking towards the Deca Tower, presumably to battle by herself. Not long after she left, the rest of the group proceeded to head towards the tower, going towards one of the elevators. They stepped inside, the small room becoming cramped. The doors closed, and the elevator began to descend.

"Hey, how are we gonna split the teams?" Octavia questioned.

"Well, the last battle we did with Geneva, it was boys versus girls," Bonnie mused. "So... We could do it again?"

"Nah, that's a little repetitive," Perry argued. "Gotta try somethin' different."

"Leave it up to fate?" Alexis proposed.

"I don't think I want the teams to be random..." Roy protested.

"Oh, what about warm colors versus cool colors?" Inigo suggested. "Like the tournament."

"You squids went into a tournament?" Geneva perplexed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, back in December," Yuri confirmed. "We lost."

"Octa Prisma was the winner," the boy with the ponytail explained. "Or, rather, what was Octa Prisma at the time."

"Just me, Oscar, Giovanni, and Iris!" Yvonne interjected. "That feels long ago, right?"

"Indeed," Oscar agreed. "It weird to think how much the team grew."

"We only got three members," Brayden pointed out. "That is not a lot."

"One which enter the team today," Peyton added.

"Sad about that loss," Geneva murmured. "But hey, at least you got that far."

"Oh yeah," Octavia spoke up. "We should probably tell ya about the Vigilante."

"I've heard of him," the green-haired inkling commented. "What about him?"

Inigo gulped. He really had gotten famous. Even Geneva, wherever she was, heard about him on her vacation. Though, it wasn't for being himself. It was for being someone he wasn't. But, he had to remind himself from time to time again that the Vigilante was a part of him, no matter how much he tried to deny it over the past few weeks. It was _Inigo_ that was cheating on girls left and right. If one thing remained constant, though, it was his loyalty to Tiffany. Yet even that was being tested, as the Rainbow Squids continue to bring up reminders that she was supposedly a bad person.

He didn't know what to think anymore. Now that Geneva was back, he could technically achieve his goal and see what Tiffany wanted from her. Though...he didn't want to. It felt _wrong_. After the Rainbow Squids explained the Vigilante, there was no way she would willingly go with him. Meaning the only way to bring her to Tiffany was by force. And he didn't dare try to hurt her outside of ink battles.

"You probably know that he cheats on a bunch of girls-" Via started.

"Just cut to the chase," Roy interrupted her. "He's working for Tiffany, your brother's ex. And we think she's looking for _you_."

Geneva flinched at Tiffany's name, but she still kept a straight face. "I hope Asher already explained what she's done," she remarked. "Whatever she wants with me, it can't be good."

"Be careful," Perry warned. "Don't want you to go missin'... Again."

"Knowing Geneva, she'll be fine," Yuri remarked. "I'm sure of it."

"I'm not gonna think about it now," she said. "Let's just focus on the battle for now."

"Right!" the yellow-haired inkling exclaimed. "Let's not let that get us down!"

"Yeah, I'm pumped for this battle," the red-haired inkling agreed.

"Good luck," Eight stated. "That is what they say, yes?"

The elevator slowed to a stop, and the floor opened beneath them to reveal a grate. Everyone turned into their cephalopod forms and fell through it, swimming to their next destination. Inigo emerged on a spawn point, where he immediately noticed a ferris wheel out in the distance. They were in Wahoo World, he was sure of it. He glanced over at Geneva, who had spawned next to him.

"We went here once," he told her. "Remember?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm just glad you remember."

The match started, and everyone started firing their weapons. ...Though, Geneva and Bonnie were the only ones with a weapon that fired ink. Inigo slammed his roller down on the ground, while Perry was hurling ink from his slosher. The long-haired inkling strafed around the area, spreading green ink everywhere. The boy with the ponytail rolled past her, towards the middle of the stage. He turned, going up the smooth incline, running out of ink as soon as he got to the glass bridge. He lifted his roller up and jumped back into the ink puddle, waiting for his ink tank to refill. Octavia had arrived, spreading pink ink everywhere. Inigo inched towards the bridge, debating on whenever to surprise her or attack her now.

Via headed towards Inigo, where he proceeded to pop out and slam his Carbon Roller down on her, resulting in her splatting. He kicked her jacket out of the way and ran towards the middle, where he proceeded to cover it back up. Just before he started heading down the path towards the enemy base, he heard ink flying towards him. He whipped his head towards the source to find Yuri, firing his Heavy Splatling Deco. He stuck his tongue out, inching a little closer to the center. Unfortunately, when the platform below his feet started to retract into the central pillar. He stopped firing and turned into a squid, leaping towards the ramp. He barely made it, pink tentacles poking out before disappearing into the ink once more.

Inigo used this opportunity to summon his special weapon, Ink Storm. He took it out and slammed it into the ground, breaking it and sending a green cloud into the sky. It drifted towards the other team's spawn, though he didn't take much time to watch it. He was on the move once more, taking the path down towards the open area that led to the middle of the stage. Geneva was already there, inking the area around him.

 _Perfect._ He dove into the ink and lurked around, waiting for someone to arrive. Slowly he swam, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. However, he started to panic when a splat bomb dropped down right next to him. He emerged and scrambled to get away, only for it to blow him up. A pink puddle of ink remained where he splatted, and he then returned to the spawn point, ready to try again.

He decided to super-jump to Bonnie. She was in the middle, their team still keeping control of the map. Alexis was approaching from the right. She snapped her Classic Squiffer towards her, splatting her in a single hit. Inigo simply nodded in approval and continued on. The glass bridge started to retract while he was trying to cross it, causing him to stumble and fall to the lower level. Some jellyfish inside the ride glanced over at him, but they quickly took their gazes off of him, like nothing had ever happened. He jumped to his feet and started looking around. He threw an auto bomb in front of him. It merely blew up. He sighed and turned into a squid, hiding in the ink. He swam up to Geneva and popped out next to her, only for them to be both splatted by Roy. He noticed the tan-skinned inkling looking at his blaster, surprised, as he flew away.

When they respawned, Geneva was glaring at him.

"Why did you follow me?" she asked.

"I..." He scratched his head, thinking. What was the reason? It seemed like it was out of impulse, but there was probably a deeper meaning to it. "...I guess I got excited."

"About what?"

"That you were back. I haven't seen you in almost a year, so it just feels surreal." He sighed. "I thought I was over you, but I guess not."

"...Hm." She simply nodded, walking off of the spawn point. "If I'm being honest myself, it feels surreal to me, too."

He blinked. "What is?"

"That I'm finally back in Inkopolis. I thought all my efforts...while I was on my vacation, would come to naught." She looked over her shoulder. "But they didn't. To think..." She shook her head. "I'm rambling again. Let's focus on the battle."

Inigo nodded. _"_ Right. If you want to, you can tell me later."

The two inklings submerged in the ink, swimming towards the middle of the map. They stopped upon sight of several ink bullets, raining down on them. Yuri stood on the wall of the center pillar, slowly moving his splatling from right to left. His spiky hair started to glow, and he jumped down, pulling out a bubble wand.

"Bubble Blower!" Inigo gasped, emerging. "Splat him before he can spawn all the bubbles!"

Yuri chuckled. "Well, now I just know your strategy!" He started backing up, swinging the Bubble Blower once, a bubble containing pink ink floating out from it. Inigo did a vertical swing to the side, trying a different approach. He swam to the end of the trail and did another vertical swing, green ink landing a few inches from the dark-skinned boy. He swung the wand again, causing a bubble to bump into Inigo. He fell on his back, pink ink dripping off of his shirt. He swatted the bubble with his Carbon Roller, shrinking it. He jumped to his feet and tried going around the bubble. Panicking, Yuri swung the last of his bubbles, causing the bubble wand to disappear and reequipping himself with the Heavy Splatling Deco. He threw out a Splash Wall at Inigo, splatting him on contact. At the same time, however, Geneva popped out from the ink behind Yuri and splatted him herself.

 _I'm slacking off,_ he thought as he respawned. _I have to focus now._ He super-jumped to Geneva again, who had now arrived in the middle. She was fighting Alexis, the bronze-skinned inkling dancing around her with her Hero Dualies. She switched targets to Inigo as soon as he landed, splatting him again. Thankfully, the distraction provided the long-haired inkling the opportunity she needed to splat Alexis. Inigo respawned again with a groan and started swimming towards the center of the stage once more. He climbed up the wall this time in order to get to the middle. Geneva had moved on after she splatted Alexis. He jumped down with his Carbon Roller and started covering the circular area once more. A green mist suddenly surrounded him, and soon, hardened ink formed on his body.

"Thanks, Bonnie," he said, though he doubted that she could hear him. With one minute left, he was confident his team could win. He slammed his roller down on the ground and started running down the ramp. He spotted Octavia, running towards him with her Octobrush Nouveau. She stopped and pulled out some Tenta Missiles. He smirked, and just as she fired them, he swung his roller at her, splatting her. However, there was now a pink ring circling his feet. Pink markers then appeared on the ground, and he jumped out of the way, missiles blowing up behind him and breaking his Ink Armor. He jumped up to his feet and continued to roll the Carbon Roller.

His hair began to glow, and he threw out another Ink Storm. More bullets started to brush by him, and he started to zig-zag across the stage in attempt to avoid them. He spotted Yuri on one of the walls, next to the ink rail. He turned around and started swimming towards him, still using his strategy of zig-zagging. Yuri ran out of bullets, and he took a few steps back, the barrels of his splatling spinning as he recharged. He jumped off of the platform, much to Inigo's dismay. He emerged and started running to Yuri, alarming the spiky-haired boy. He whipped the splatling around and started to fire at the same time the boy with the ponytail slammed his Carbon Roller down on him. They both splatted, their gear disappearing into the ink.

Inigo respawned, his body aching. Just how many times had he splatted in this single match? It was beginning to rival the number of times he usually splatted in a ranked match. Besides, he had received a nasty hit from Yuri's Heavy Splatling Deco. It was bound to hurt afterwards. But, the only thing he could do was press on. He didn't have much longer now. He super-jumped to Perry, curious to see what he was doing. From the ramp leading down to the enemy's base, he was firing a Sting Ray at the moment, aiming at the opponent's spawn. It finished a few seconds later, and the pale-skinned boy began swinging his Sloshing Machine once more.

"Haven't seen you much," Inigo remarked.

"Yeah, I know," he admitted. "Just doin' my own thing. Inking things."

"At least you're helping," he mused.

"I splatted Roy a few times," Perry noted. He looked up at a higher level. The boy with hair swept to the side was running towards them. "And there he comes now."

"Let's splat him, together," Inigo declared.

"Aight." He continued swinging the Sloshing Machine, blobs of green ink barreling towards the tan-skinned inkling. He jumped out of the way and started running up to them. However, he had one weakness—he had to ink the surrounding turf. Inigo swam up to him and emerged behind him. Roy looked over his shoulder and gasped, eyes widening. He activated Baller, sending Inigo back a few feet. He crashed into the wall, pain shooting up through his back.

"Agh!" he cried, trembling. He got up, his feet wobbly. _Only thirty seconds left,_ he thought. _I can make it._ He submerged into the ink an attempt to heal his pain, watching Roy. Perry, eyes wide, started backing up, swinging his Sloshing Machine wildly. He managed to remove some of the packaging on the Baller, but he ended up getting run over. After Perry splatted, Roy turned his attention to Inigo, eyes scanning the area.

"I know you're still there," the tan-skinned inkling stated, scanning the area with his red eyes. "Where are you?"

The Baller started to expand, stopping Roy not far from Inigo. He swam away, just barely missing it. Unfortunately, it tipped off Roy to his whereabouts, thanks to the ripples in the ink moving with him. He turned around, backing up against another wall. He started swinging the Carbon Roller wildly, hoping to hit Roy before he hit him. He thought he was finished, when a green beam of ink suddenly pierced through him, splatting him.

Inigo looked up at the source of the beam. Bonnie was standing on the platform above him, spinning her Classic Squiffer.

"Bonnie!" he exclaimed. "Thanks!"

She gave a small smile. "Any time."

They continued inking what turf was left, and soon, the whistle blew, ending the match. It was over.

"I believe the Cool Rainbow Squids win!" Yvonne chirped from above them. She was leaning over some railing, waving.

"Yes," Brayden agreed. "The stage is quite green."

"A complete loss," Oscar mused. "I hoped the Warm Rainbow Squids win..."

"Wait for Judd," Giovanni instructed. "He will determine the winner."

Indeed, the two cats arrived, standing on one of the walls in the middle pillar. Judd and Li'l Judd did a little dance before the former struck out a green flag, marking the Cool Rainbow Squids' victory.

"Booyah!" Perry cheered, running up to the rest of the group. "We won!"

"Of course we won," Geneva remarked, stepping next to Perry. "Can't you see how much turf we inked?"

"Either way, we won," Inigo said. "And that's that."

"It was a good match!" Octavia exclaimed, walking up to them. "Your skills are still sharp, Geneva."

The long-haired inkling scratched her head. "Well... I wouldn't say that."

"But it's true," Roy agreed, joining them. "Even with that eyepatch, you're as good as ever."

"Maybe we should hold that welcome back party after all," Perry teased.

"Guys... I already said you don't need to," Geneva sighed. "Just being here is enough."

"C'mon, Geneva," Yuri encouraged, popping in. "You know how big of a deal this is!"

"You said it yourself," Inigo added. "This feels surreal to you. And to me. And I guess to all of us as well."

The fair-skinned girl blinked at his remark, and then she laughed. "Ha. You're right." She crossed her arms, closing her eyes and smiling. "I guess that welcome back party wouldn't be so bad."

"I knew you'd come through!" the dark-skinned inkling cheered. "C'mon, let's hold it at your favorite place. Pirahna Pit, wasn't it?"

"Might be difficult to rent," Perry pointed out. "Why not Arowana Mall? Just a store there. Like Pacific Party."

"Pacific Party? That works," Geneva agreed. She looked up at the group of octolings watching them. "Can Octa Prisma come?"

"Huh? But they're our rivals," Inigo marveled. "Why'd you want them to come?"

"Um... You're kind of friends with them, aren't you?" she defended.

"Can't we enjoy something _without_ Octa Prisma getting in the way?" Alexis groaned. "This is Geneva's moment, not theirs!"

"But-"

"It is fine," Eight spoke up, turning everyone's attention to her. "I understand the importance."

"You go ahead," Oscar agreed. "I not mind."

Geneva blinked, and simply nodded. "I see." She turned to the group. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the mall."

The Rainbow Squids looked at each other and nodded. "Right!" they all cheered.

They super-jumped out of Wahoo World, to the Deca Tower once more. And now, they could give Geneva a proper welcome for her return to Inkopolis, and to the Rainbow Squids. One that had been long awaited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geneva has returned at long last! Now the summary isn't entirely accurate... Ha. Anyways, really hope you like this chapter! I was excited for Geneva's return (and I don't have to keep her post-vacation outfit much of a secret anymore). She still has her secrets, though. What could they be? Hmm... Can you figure them out? Regardless, Octa Prisma's finally filled out, with the last member being our very own Agent 8. Now there's two agents between both teams. If you were waiting until this chapter to read the Halloween special, now you can! If you're waiting until Season 3 is finished, then you only have eight more chapters. Two more months. How exciting! Hope you have a great 2021, and see you next week!


	80. Going Down the Sea Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perry and his teammates go up against Tiffany in the Pulp vs. No Pulp Splatfest.

_Perry's PoV_

"Pulp vs. No-Pulp?" Geneva puzzled, looking at the Splatfest terminal. "And I thought nothing could get weirder than Mayo vs. Ketchup..."

"You should've seen the Squidmas Splatfest," Octavia remarked. "It was Sweater vs. Sock."

"Hey, at least it was fitting," Perry encouraged. The long-haired inkling didn't seem aware of the Splatfest, becoming immensely surprised the moment she walked into Inkopolis Square. Off the Hook was sitting Color Pulse, their harmonic voices ringing throughout the area. Still, Geneva eyed both choices, indecisive.

"Don't you like your orange juice without pulp?" Inigo pointed out.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Then choose!" Alexis egged. "We don't got all day!"

"Fine, fine," she sighed. She selected Team No Pulp, and the jellyfish standing next to it gave her a green t-shirt and a bracelet. "So, just put it on now, huh?"

"Exactly," the boy with the ponytail confirmed.

"Alright," she muttered. She turned around and started to walk towards the Deca Tower.

"Wait!" Perry called. Geneva stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, the side with the eyepatch facing them. "Tiffany's usually 'round here when there's a Splatfest," he warned. "You should like, put on a helmet or something."

"She hasn't seen me in four years," she pointed out. "I highly doubt she'll recognize me at first glance."

"But what about a second glance?" Octavia argued. "She might do a double take and recognize you."

"...Oh," she realized. "I don't think I have a helmet, though."

"Well, I think somethin' to cover your eyes is good enough," Perry suggested. "So shades or somethin'."

"Hm." She gave a quick nod. "I definitely have shades."

"We'll follow you," the wavy-haired inkling announced. "We're all on the same team, after all."

Via was correct—all of the Rainbow Squids present were part of Team No Pulp. Roy, Yuri, and Bonnie were off battling for Team Pulp, thanks to the tan-skinned boy's eagerness to battle. The latter two were not as willing to leave their friends so easily, but eventually, they yielded, leaving not long before the others realized Geneva had yet to pick a team.

"Lead the way, Geneva!" the pale-skinned boy announced.

They walked through the crowd, into the Deca Tower. Just before they entered, however, Inigo's phone chimed. He took it out and read the message he got. With a frown, he sighed, and he turned to face the others.

"I gotta go," he announced. "I...promised someone I would battle with them today."

"That's a shame," the long-haired girl muttered.

"Hey, we don't have to split up now," Alexis tried to cheer them up. "So we can all battle in the same team!"

"But we'll technically still be split up, if Inigo's leaving," Geneva pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," she admitted, "but...uh...shoot..."

"Judd got your tongue?" Octavia teased her sister.

"N-No!" she protested. "Just give me a moment!"

"Judd got her tongue," the older sister deadpanned. Everyone laughed, except Alexis, who was scowling.

"Anyways, I can't waste time," Inigo announced. "See ya." He waved goodbye and headed towards the dressing rooms, running past them. After he was out of sight, the group continued walking to their destination, which also happened to be the dressing rooms. Geneva stepped inside one of them, and the other Rainbow Squids leaned against the wall, waiting for her to come out.

While she was changing, they noticed another door open, of which the Vigilante popped out. Like them, he wore a green t-shirt, marking him as part of Team No Pulp. He carried his signature roller over his shoulder, a serious gaze on his face. Perry opened his mouth to comment on him, but Octavia quickly shushed him. The Vigilante stopped and looked over at them, though he then moved on after a few brief moments.

 _Just what is he up to?_ Perry wondered. _Did he see Geneva...? Nah, he probably would've shown his face sooner if he did._

Geneva then exited the dressing room, wearing the Splatfest tee. A Squid Nordic covered her head, with the ski goggles that came with it pulled down over her eyes. As a result, only her hair tentacles, nose, and mouth were visible. Everything else was hidden by the hat and goggles.

"I'm confident she won't see me with this," the long-haired inkling commented. "So, if we run into her, we don't have to worry."

"Sure you don't want a fake name?" Octavia asked. "Like, call yourself Gertrude or something."

"Gertrude?!" she gasped. "That name sounds horrible. I'm not using it."

"I dunno, you could be like-" Perry cleared his throat, and then in a higher voice, imitating Geneva, he said, "'Hi, my name is Gertrude Goldfish, and I like being fresh!'"

Everyone laughed. "Hey, that's funny," Geneva commented. "Now, let's go. And hope we don't run into Tiffany. Or the Vigilante."

They started walking out of the small hallway where the dressing rooms were, only to come across the two people they weren't looking for as soon as they left. Tiffany and the Vigilante were talking to each other, heading towards the back rooms. As soon as they saw the Rainbow Squids, they stopped.

"What a coincidence we ran into you," the lady remarked. "We were just looking for you."

Perry's heart skipped a beat upon hearing those words. "Why?" Alexis demanded, positioning into a defensive stance.

"I thought I saw the girl my boss is looking for with you squids," the Vigilante explained. "So, I wanted her to see for herself."

"Hm?" Octavia murmured. "But none of us match that girl's description."

"Well..." The boy with the ponytail smirked. "The girl in the middle, with that Squid Nordic." He pointed at Geneva. "She has long hair and fair skin. Just like my boss described."

"Me?" Geneva lied, lowering her voice to make it seem deeper. "But that's a very generic description."

"Let me see, boy," Tiffany told him. The Vigilante stepped back, frowning. "I know her better than you do."

The long-haired inkling gulped, looking straight at the lady. Though Perry usually saw her in a sweater, she was wearing a Splatfest tee today, its orange color marking her as part of Team Pulp. _Geez, no wonder Asher hates her,_ he remarked silently. Tiffany's dark eyes examined her, putting a hand on her chin. Geneva was unusually tense, her feet close together, and her shoulders squared. Eventually, Tiffany sighed and shook her head.

"I can't deny the similarities, but I don't think it's her," she revealed. "Maybe if I could see her eyes, then I could tell for sure."

Geneva let out a sigh of relief. Perry found himself relaxing as well, exhaling. He had been holding his breath. The thought that one of his closest friends would be taken away just as he got her back was terrifying to him. Now that she had evaded Tiffany, even if just for a little while, he could continue not to worry.

"Why don't we battle?" Tiffany offered. "I always have wanted to try out an Inkopolis Splatfest." She pulled out a Forge Splattershot Pro, relaxing it by her side.

"I won't be able to join you," the Vigilante pointed out to the lady. "We're on different teams, and the other team is already full."

"I'm well aware," she acknowledged. "Just do your own battles. Keep searching."

"...OK." He simply nodded. "I will." He turned around, walking away. He entered one of the elevators, disappearing from sight.

"So, anyways." Tiffany turned back to the group, giving a small smile. "Are we going to battle?"

"Uh..." Alexis started, trailing off.

"I'm taking that as a yes," she announced, grabbing the short-haired inkling's hand, pulling her towards her.

"Wait! I didn't finish!" she complained.

"Well, too late now," she shrugged it off. She started walking towards the nearest elevator, Alexis in tow.

"Get your hands off of her!" Octavia demanded, running after her. Perry and Geneva were quick to follow.

They ran into the elevator—exactly what Tiffany wanted. There, the pale-skinned lady unhanded the bronze-skinned girl, causing her to stumble backwards. She took out the strange, orange shooter Perry had once seen her with.

"Our weapons are in a storage room," Alexis pointed out. "We needed to get them to do our best."

"Surely you have some on you," Tiffany dismissed. "Like that shooter. I've never seen it before."

"It's a Hero Shot," she explained. "The new version."

"So _that's_ what it is!" Octavia exclaimed. "It looks different from the replica..."

"Well, we don't have our normal weapons on us," Geneva groaned, again feigning the deeper voice. "I don't have a good feeling about this..."

"What _do_ you have?" Via asked her.

"Uh..." The long-haired inkling proceeded to pull out a Splat Charger, much to her own surprise. "Shoot, I forgot to return this..."

"Who's is it?" Perry asked. "You get a new boyfriend or?"

"No!" she snapped. "It's Eight's!"

"Eight?" Alexis relaxed, blinking at her. "Why do you have Eight's charger?"

"We were practicing yesterday, and she wanted to switch chargers, so she told me to 'hold on to it,'" Geneva explained. "I guess I was so caught up in it that I forgot that I still had it..."

"It is fine."

Geneva lifted her head towards the entrance. Standing in the middle of it was Agent 8, wearing an orange Splatfest tee. She held the E-liter 4K in her light brown hands. Her curly tentacles were drooping slightly.

"This is 'Eight?'" Tiffany asked the Rainbow Squids. They nodded. She turned to face the octoling, causing her to flinch. "What an odd name."

"Ah! You are...Tiffany!" Eight gasped. "I hear bad things about you."

"Whatever 'bad things' they may be, they're false," she countered. "Not all rumors are true."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "'Rumors?'" She scowled, raising her voice. "The inklings I talk to know you. They say, 'you bad.' It is fact then, right?"

"Little rose, barely anyone in Inkopolis truly knows me," she shot her claims down. "They probably heard those nasty rumors about me and told them to you. And now, you're hearing it from me. If I say they're false, they're false."

"And the inklings who 'truly knows' you," Eight challenged. "Who they?"

"It's not important," she argued. "They aren't showing their faces, anyways. At least...for now."

"What?!" she cried. "Not-"

"Eight, stop," Geneva interfered, stepping in front of her. "It's not worth it."

"I..." She lowered her head. "I understand." She started walking towards the back of the elevator. "I am the sorry...that I am making you mad."

"Huh? No, I'm not mad!" Geneva reached a hand for her, frowning. Eight ignored her, her back turned. She lowered her hand, silent.

"It's OK," Octavia comforted her. "She'll come around."

"I really hope so..." she muttered.

Two more inklings proceeded to enter the elevator, both boys. One had orange hair slicked back, with fair skin and dark red eyes. Much like Bonnie, he wore retro specs, though he wore angry rain boots as well. He wielded a H-3 Nozzlenose D. The other boy appeared to be the first's friend, having tanned skin and orange hair styled into a bowl cut. The shoes he wore were blue sea slugs, and he wore a Forge mask on his face. His weapon was the Dark Tetra Dualies. They simply looked at the scene, then at each other, before stepping into the elevator completely. The door closed, and the elevator started to descend.

"I'm surprised ya actually battle, Tiffany," Perry remarked. "Thought ya just sit around all day."

"I battle more than you think," she noted. "You'll be surprised."

 _Why do I feel like she's lying?_ he thought. _Guess we'll see._

The floor opened beneath their feet, and once again, they turned into squids—octopus in Eight's case—and slipped through the grate. They traveled to their next destination—an unfamiliar area. The skies were starry, and a few buildings shot up from outside the stage's bounds. The ground was made of cement, as if he was walking through the city. In the distance, he saw some peculiar devices with a target on them. Perry glanced over at his side. The walls were transparent, the glass being held up by metal beams. He could actually see the other team through the wall. Eight seemed to have the same thought, as she was staring right back at him with pink eyes. He noticed a neon sign with some kind of design behind them, though they likely could not reach it.

The match proceeded to start. He found himself holding an Inkbrush. He was confused at first, until he remembered he finally took it out of the Rainbow Squids' storage room a few weeks ago. He had barely used it ever since he got it, after all. But, it appears that it would get some use today. He swung his brush a few times, spreading green ink in the area in front of him. He smirked and started running down the ramp, speeding past everyone else. He ran to the closest device and swung the Inkbrush at it. It made a sound as he hit it, kind of like a drum. He looked over to see that a wall was rising behind him. He stopped attacking it for a few moments, and the wall began to lower.

Weird... he remarked silently. He continued inking the far area, hoping that it would give his team an advantage in the battle. Attacking another device, a platform raised into the air, though it appeared that he could climb on this one. He turned around and tried inking the wall, but it sunk back into the ground before he could climb up the platform. From there, he hit the device again, and it shot up into the sky once more. He climbed up it, getting a better view of the map. However, his observations were short lived when a beam of ink pierced through him, splatting him. Indeed, Eight had splatted him, watching him from a perch. She hid back behind the wall, going out of sight.

When Perry respawned, he wanted to try going a different path down to the lower part of the map. He turned left from the spawn, racing down the platform until he dropped another level. He glanced back towards the ramp. There was another drop down to a lower level, one where the two paths would meet. However, he did not go that way. He instead ran up a ramp, perhaps one of the highest points on the map. Unfortunately, the peak was no use to him. He drew a squid on the ground with his Inkbrush before jumping down to the glass bridge. Pipes could be seen running through it. He ran to the perch on his side of the map, where the platform closest to it was rising. Someone climbed up it, and Tiffany proceeded to pop out on the top of the platform. She winked and summoned her special weapon, Bubble Blower. Perry tried maneuvering around them, but it was too late. As soon as the bubbles had settled, Tiffany started to fire at them. Before she could pop them, however, someone else appeared and slammed a roller down on her.

Octavia raised the Splat Roller, smiling. "Caught a dogfish," she snickered.

"Huh," Perry muttered. "Didn't know you still had that." He remembered the Splat Roller being her weapon of choice before she was able to buy the Octobrush from Ammo Knights.

"Neither did I," she said. "But, I'm glad to have it anyways." She jumped over to Perry and started swatting the bubbles away. They eventually disappeared, the soapy substance falling to the ground.

"Hey, Via," started the purple-eyed inkling, smirked. "Wanna see a drawing?"

"I don't think it'll be good, but sure," she replied.

He chuckled, drawing an inappropriate image in the empty space. "Like it?" he asked.

Octavia ended up slapping him. "No!" she scolded. She slammed her roller down and covered up the image. "What even gave you that idea?"

Perry rubbed his cheek. "Geez, you didn't have to do that. I just thought it'd be funny."

"Maybe to a guy," she grumbled, "but not to me."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

The two inklings jumped down to the lowest point of the map, the far end. Geneva was on the top ramp that was located behind the devices, aiming the Splat Charger she held. She fired once, and her hair began to glow green. She pulled out a Sting Ray and aimed it towards their opponent's spawn point. Perry started running towards the device that would lead them to the enemy base, but Octavia grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back before he could make any progress. He looked back at her to see her shaking her head. After the Sting Ray expired, she let him go, and again, he was dashing towards the device, this time successfully activating it.

As he climbed up the platform, he heard Geneva cry out behind him. When he got to the top of the platform, he saw Eight dashing behind the wall, presumably to recharge. With an idea, he jumped onto the grate and ran towards solid ground, ambushing the curly-haired octoling. She started firing her E-liter 4K rapidly, though Perry's speed was no match for her. She splatted, creating a green puddle of ink at his feet. He snickered and started running further into the enemy base.

The boy with the H-3 Nozzlenose D jumped out at him, aiming his shooter at him. He jumped out of the way, some orange ink brushing his arm. He scrambled towards him, Inkbrush in hand. The boy backed up, still shooting at him. A marker appeared at the boy's feet, indicating that someone was super-jumping to him. Perry continued to chase the boy, but he stopped in his tracks when an orange, glowing wall appeared in front of him. He turned around to see the other boy, covered with an orange armor as he barreled towards the ground. He was too fast for Perry to react—the pale-skinned inkling splatted, his ghost floating away from where he had exploded into a puddle of ink, his gear falling into the abyss.

He respawned, his head throbbing. "Ow..." he groaned, rubbing the spot where the most ink had splattered onto him. He turned into a squid and dove into the green ink, the pain quickly disappearing. He swam back towards the middle of the map, where the uninkable wall was raised. He looked for an opening towards the far end. He quickly spotted one and jumped down towards it. Tiffany was shooting at the device, though she stopped as soon as she heard Perry's arrival. She whipped her head towards him and threw a suction bomb towards him. He dodged it, running out of the blast range.

However, it was clear that Tiffany's sights were set on the pale-skinned boy now. She started running towards him, firing her Forge Splattershot Pro. Perry threw a splat bomb in response, running further away from her. She jumped away from the bomb, some green ink getting on her feet. She inked the spot back up and continued to advance. Soon, there was nowhere left to run. His only options were to fight, or jump off the platform, into the abyss. Though, he wasn't going to give up yet. Tiffany was the Rainbow Squids' one common enemy, and he wanted to beat her up at least once. He thought the feeling would be satisfying. So, he started running towards her with the bristles of the Inkbrush on the ground, dodging Tiffany's shots.

He swung his brush at her, causing her to stumble back as green ink covered her face. She let out a cry of pain, trying to wipe the ink off. Perry swung around and swiped at her legs, causing her to trip, and with one last swipe, she splatted.

"Booyah!" he cheered, pumping a fist. "I splatted her!"

Alexis super-jumped to him. "Hey!" she called. She lowered her weapon as she looked around, confused. "...Well, guess you splatted her yourself..." She pouted.

"Ah, don't worry." He patted her head. "If I can do it myself, then that's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, but I thought you were in trouble!" she defended. "Which means I super-jumped here for nothing!"

"Well, what happened happened," he tried to cheer her up. "We just gotta focus on winning."

Alexis gave a quick nod. "Right." She went to the device and starting shooting at it. "You go ahead," she told him. "I'll keep shooting this ink switch."

"Is that what they're called?" he asked.

She nodded. "Don't ask how I know."

"Wasn't plannin' to," he remarked. Besides, he already had an idea on how she knew. Based on how he had seen Alexis with Agents 1 and 2—who he now knew to be Callie and Marie—before, he guessed that she was Agent 4. Agent 4 probably encountered weird technology on her quest to save the Great Zapfish, right? And that's not the mention the physical similarities they shared. But, he wouldn't pry her for information. It was supposed to be a secret in the first place...

He climbed up the platform and jumped onto the grate. To his surprise, Agent 8 was absent. _Must be trying something different,_ he assumed. He continued ahead, inking whatever turf he saw. Soon, the perch was completely green, and he could continue on. He heard someone laugh behind him. He turned around to see the boy with the Dark Tetra Dualies, also jumping onto the perch. He threw an autobomb at Perry and started inking the surrounding area back up. The pale-skinned boy gasped and started running away from it. It blew up just as he reached the ramp, though he was able to get far enough away that he escaped unscathed. Perry continued running until he reached the enemy spawn. The boy with the H-3 Nozzlenose D had just respawned, and he gasped upon seeing Perry. Perry tried attacking him from inside the spawn, but his swipes simply bounced off of the spawn point's shield, the force sending him back a few feet.

At this revelation, the fair-skinned boy laughed. "Ha! You can't get in here!" he taunted, sticking a tongue out.

Perry laughed. "Well, alright. Then get out here and fight me like a real man!"

The boy's demeanor immediately changed. "Well, I'll show you what a 'real man' is like!" He tossed a suction bomb at Perry, causing him to flee while the other stepped out of the spawn point. Perry risked a glance behind him. His opponent had transformed into a squid, swimming after him. He emerged when they reached the ramp, now firing the H-3 Nozzlenose D at him. When Perry reached the bridge, the boy with the Dark Tetra Dualies jumped out at him, smirking. He looked around and opted to jump down to the courtyard below. He landed on the concrete, and the two boys ran into each other, leaving them dazed.

"Booyah!" he cheered. He ran towards the middle ink switch, only for him to be launched up into the air the moment he stepped onto the wall. He let out a cry of surprise, unable to stop himself before he was sent flying towards the ground, screaming. He knew it would he would be fine, but he wasn't a particular fan of heights. He braced for impact, even turning into a squid to lessen the impact.

He found himself not on the ground, but in the arms of someone. He opened his eyes to meet a pair of ski goggles staring down at him. A disguised Geneva. Her teeth were clenched together. He transformed back into a kid, catching her off-guard with the sudden shift in weight. He jumped out of her arms and gave a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, G," he said. "Really gave me a hand there."

Geneva relaxed and smiled. "No problem. Guess I could've let you land on your butt, but I decided to be nice."

They laughed for a few good seconds, which was long enough for the match to end. In fact, Perry didn't even realize that it had ended until he found himself unable to ink anything—it was like someone was compelling him, making his body work against him, resisting his efforts to swing his Inkbrush. He gave up and plopped to the ground, leaning against the ink switch. The wall lowered, revealing what was in the courtyard since he had escaped the two boys on the other team. The boys had fallen to the ground, rubbing their heads. Tiffany was behind them, messing with her Forge Splattershot Pro. Judging by the splatters of orange ink, she was likely inking the area before it ended. He couldn't find Eight, but he assumed she was elsewhere. Additionally, Alexis was leaning on the wall, holding the Hero Shot in the hand not up against it.

Judd and Li'l Judd arrived sooner than usual, landing just in front of Geneva and Perry. Everyone looked at the two cats, their gazes unwavering.

"Must be close," Perry remarked to them. Judd meowed approvingly in response.

Eventually, they proceeded to dance. Judd struck out a green flag, causing Li'l Judd to fall over. Team No Pulp had managed to win by a small margin.

Tiffany broke her composure for a few moments, her face contorting in rage. However, she quickly fixed herself, walking up to the two inklings near the ink switch.

"Good game," she said, reaching a hand out.

Perry got up, and took her hand, shaking it. "Good game." He looked at Geneva, expectant.

Hesitantly, she shook Tiffany's hand as well. "...Good game," she said in that deeper voice.

"What's wrong, blindfold girl?" the lady teased. "Did you want to lose?"

Geneva didn't answer. "We're done here," she replied instead, rather coldly. She turned into a squid and super-jumped away. Perry's mouth fell open slightly, and he super-jumped after her. They arrived in the Deca Tower, the map displayed on the screen. The long-haired inkling ignored it, however, immediately walking out of the elevator. Again, Perry followed her, and not long after, Octavia, Alexis, and Eight also popped out of the room.

"You OK?" Via asked her, stepping up next to her.

"...No," she admitted. They walked out of the tower, back into the square. Geneva sat down on a bench outside the tower, crossing her arms.

"Please, Geneva," Eight requested. "Do the speaking." She clasped her hands together, frowning.

"I just...don't know how the Vigilante found me," the long-haired girl started. "I almost got caught, and I don't know what would've happened if she did. And even then, I expected him to drag me to her myself."

"I don't think he _wants_ to give you to Tiffany," Octavia remarked. At this comment, she looked up at the wavy-haired girl.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because I've seen who he is," she revealed. "I knocked his shades off one time during a battle."

"I know who he is, too," Alexis added. "...I don't think you want to know."

"Why? Do I know him?" Geneva questioned. The sisters looked at each other, frowning.

"Trust me, you _don't_ want to know," Via answered at last.

"I mean, if he doesn't want to out you, then you have nothin' to worry about, right?" Perry encouraged. "You just gotta worry if Tiffany's 'round."

"...I guess," she muttered.

"Well, it's all settled now," he finished. "Let's go do some more battles, aight?"

Geneva smiled, standing up. "Right."

They started heading back towards the Deca Tower, ready for another match. Perry looked behind him for a few moments, and he could've sworn he saw a fair-skinned inkling watching them, a glare bouncing off of his tinted shades. Then, he noticed the pale-skinned boy and retreated back behind the wall. There was only one person that could've possibly been—the Vigilante.

Just what did he want...? Perry still couldn't figure that out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry for the late chapter... Again. Though, to be fair, my body was working against me yesterday. Thanks, migraines... I'm better now, all I needed to do was sleep. Maybe I should move the posting time back an hour normally? Hmm... There's not much else I can comment on this chapter. Not sure if Geneva's characterization is consistent right now, though in her defense, she was going up against her sworn enemy that hurt her and her brother deeply. I think anyone would be nervous to go up against someone like that. Trust me, you'll be seeing Geneva in a more relaxed state in the next few chapters. She really only shows her emotions to her friends and family, giving her the calm and serious demeanor she's known for. The same can be said for Tiffany - she was a lot more snappy in her earlier appearances, but now she feigns kindness in front of most people, which I feel is more accurate for a person of her type. See you next week!


	81. Copycat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeing Oscar going for a Salmon Run, Roy gives Salmon Runs another chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Grizz's dialogue is from the game.

_Roy's PoV_

_A few days before the Splatfest..._

Roy hung up his Starfish Drinks apron on the rack, in return for his jacket. He put it back on, covering the black tee he wore underneath back up. It felt nice to wear his varsity jacket again, after a long day at work.

Oscar hung up his apron as well, also ready to leave for the day. "What are you doing now?" he asked him.

"Me?" the red-haired inkling asked, surprised. The octoling nodded. "I was gonna battle. What about you?"

"Salmon Run," he replied. "I want to try Salmon Run."

"Huh?" He blinked, surprised. "You've been in Inkopolis for what, a year? How have you never tried a Salmon Run?!"

"I not want to," Oscar explained. "Then Yvonne tells me, 'Salmon Run fun.' We agree to go to it after I done with work." He looked towards the door. "I must hurry. I do not want Yvonne to wait more."

"Oh, OK," Roy simply muttered.

The octoling nodded. "Goodbye." He dashed out of the staff room. Roy followed him towards the exit, but by the time he entered he entered the dining area, Oscar was already gone, the door swinging back in place. The tan-skinned inkling chuckled and proceeded to exit Starfish Drinks as well. He walked down the street, the orange-haired octoling small in the distance. Eventually, he could no longer see him. Roy sighed and stepped on the pavement outside of the Deca Tower. He glanced at the entrance. It slid open as a few inklings walked out of it.

Roy hadn't moved, much to the inklings' dismay. "Can you get out of the way?" one of them asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I wanna order a Crusty Seanwich."

"Sorry," he apologized coldly, stepping out of the way. The group passed by, giving him a few rude looks. He rolled his eyes and stepped out of the tower entrance.

He looked over at Grizzco Industries. Surely, Oscar was with Yvonne now, doing some Salmon Runs. It would be embarrassing for him to walk him to see the orange-haired octoling still waiting.

He took a deep breath and walked towards the shady-looking building. What harm it could do?

The entire time, his heart was pounding. Why was he so nervous? When he stepped inside, he was relieved to find that no one else was in there. Only the bear statue was there, a faint sound humming from it. An orange light was cast on him, and he walked up to the statue, kneeling down to be eye-level with it.

"Right on time, kid," a raspy voice buzzed out of the radio. "I've got work for ya."

 _Right._ He had been here twice before—once when it initially opened, and once when Bonnie tricked him into coming here. He had never been a fan of it, but the thrill he felt the last time might give him a reason to change his mind.

He took a deep breath, and entered the empty elevator.

* * *

_About a week and a half later..._

Salmon Run was more fun than he could have ever expected.

He came again.

And again.

And again.

It was July now, and Roy was out of school. Meaning that outside of work, he had all the time in the world. Unfortunately, that was not the case for Geneva—if she wanted to graduate with the rest of the Rainbow Squids, she would have to take summer school. It saddened him, but very long vacations came with consequences. At least he knew where she was this time. And she still came to visit them after summer school.

Roy was once again in the employees' room with Oscar, hanging his apron up. Once again, he put on his jacket, but this time, he walked with Oscar out of Starfish Drinks. They merely talked among themselves, the sun beaming down on them. Getting hot, the red-haired inkling unzipped the varsity jacket, making the black tee visible once more.

"It surprise me," Oscar remarked, "how the heat goes high now."

"It's not unbearable," Roy pointed out. "I can take it. Most squids can."

"You say that," the octoling argued, "but it cold in my old home."

"Don't the Octarians live underground?" he asked. "I remember reading that in the textbooks."

"Yes," he confirmed. "So, little heat."

"...Shoot," he grumbled. _C'mon, Roy, can't act dumb right now._ "I-I see," he replied, louder.

"Are you going to do the battling?"

"Yeah."

"Wishing I can join. Giovanni wants to meet."

"We can battle tomorrow!" he blurted out. "Just go meet with Gio! I'll make sure I'm as strong as ever to fight you tomorrow."

"Strange..." Oscar muttered. "Well, I looking ahead to it. Bye."

By now, they had reached the square, and the two boys went their separate ways. Roy let out a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to come up with an excuse in case Oscar did try to go with him to the Deca Tower. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him. When the coast was clear, he ran to Grizzco Industries, running up the pavement, past some inklings sitting outside the entrance.

He entered the building, the bear statue welcoming him. Somehow, it was even more humid than outside. He stepped over a pile of scrap metal and headed towards the elevator. He leaned up against the wall, sweaty. He took off the jacket and tied it around his waist, using his hand to fan himself from the heat. With no one else entered, the door closed, and the elevator shuddered. It began to descend until coming to a sudden stop, almost knocking Roy off of his feet. The floor paneling slid open with a hiss, some steam rising from it. The red-haired inkling rubbed his eyes and turned into a squid, slipping through the grate.

He launched to the boat, landing on the deck. He took a few moments to adjust to his surroundings before heading towards the door that would lead deeper into the ship. As he put his hand on the handle, he heard his name.

"Roy?"

He turned around to see Geneva, eyes wide.

"Uh..." he spoke up. "I don't know who that is."

"Yes you do," she deadpanned.

"Dang it," he cursed.

"I thought you didn't like Salmon Run," she puzzled.

"W-Well, why I'm here is none of your business," he snapped, flustered. He turned around and opened the door, walking through it before shutting it closed. He walked down to the changing rooms, quickly dressing in the uniform every employee wore. The stench of salmonids lingered on the suit, much to Roy's disgust. He ignored it and left the room.

When he was walking back to the deck, he bumped into another inkling. He gasped, both of them stumbling backwards. Roy regained his composure and looked at the stranger. He faintly recalled seeing a picture of him on Yuri's Squidsagram—a dark-skinned inkling with pink hair and red eyes, wearing a patched hat.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin'!" the inkling complained.

"I should be saying the same of you," the other boy growled, pulling on the rubber gloves he now wore. "Else I'm feeding ya to the salmonids."

"That's kind of messed up," he pointed out. "...Though, guess I wouldn't miss you if I fed you to the salmonids."

"What?!" Roy was too bewildered to notice that the dark-skinned boy had walked right past him. "Huh? Hey!" He ran a few feet after him until he decided it wasn't worth it. He clenched a fist, muttering a curse to himself, and continued on the path back up to the deck.

On the deck, Geneva was joined by someone else—Naomi. The olive-skinned girl was already dressed in the Grizzco uniform, chatting away with the fair-skinned girl. Roy cleared his throat, and the two turned to look at him.

"Oh, Geneva was right," Naomi marveled. "You _are_ here!"

"Can we _please_ stop making this a big deal?" he begged. "So what? I'm doing a Salmon Run. Stop talkin' 'bout it."

"So, you want to keep this a secret?" she perplexed.

"Yeah, I guess," he confirmed.

Soon, the door opened again, and Roy looked over his shoulder to see the dark-skinned inkling from earlier, donned in the Grizzco uniform, just like Roy and Naomi. _Dang, he changed fast._

"Something smells fishy," he remarked, "and it's not just this uniform."

"Y'know what's fishy?" the red-haired inkling seethed.

"What?" A sly smile came across his face.

"The fact that everyone keeps botherin' me." Roy stomped away to the railing of the boat, looking out towards Inkopolis. It was getting smaller by the second as they drifted away from the coast.

Feeling the sea breeze, Roy took a deep breath. The ocean was always refreshing. It had the extraordinary ability to calm anyone down from an outburst, including Roy himself. Unfortunately, it was always Wyatt and his parents who went to the beach. The relations between his mom and his uncle were strained, though it had gotten better in recent years. And as a result, they only went to the beach when they could afford it.

He heard Geneva and Naomi talking beside him. His red eyes drifted over to them, interested. However, before he could start eavesdropping on them, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He flinched and turned around. There the dark-skinned boy was again.

"Hey," he greeted, stretching his arms. "I've seen ya before. On Studio's Squidsagram."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "'Studio?'"

"Err, Yuri. We just call him Studio."

"Well, that's a stupid name," he remarked.

"You're kinda rude, y'know."

"You were literally telling me to watch where I was going down there."

"Anyways, what's your name? Ray?"

"Roy," he corrected. He turned back around, looking out at the ocean. "Stop botherin' me. Thought I made that clear."

The dark-skinned inkling snickered. "I feel like you got some complex or somethin'. Explains why you're so grumpy."

"Shut up!" Roy struck a fist out, though he didn't hit anything. He turned around to see a pink squid on the ground, scowling at him.

"I see..." The squid reformed, still having that angry expression. "So that's how ya wanna play."

"What? You wanna fight?" Roy barked.

"Gladly."

The two boys were about to leap at each when someone grabbed Roy from behind, pulling him down. Another person did the same for the dark-skinned inkling.

"Stop, stop!" Naomi cried. "Don't fight! We can't break up this early!"

"Yeah, talk this out," Geneva pled.

The red-haired inkling turned into a squid and escaped his captor's grasp. He reformed in front of the fair-skinned inkling and looked down on her. Geneva jumped to her feet and crossed her arms.

"Promise?" she asked.

Roy turned back to the other boy. He still wasn't happy, but he seemed calmer than before. Naomi was staring up at him with wide eyes, frowning.

"I'm, um, sorry," the tan-skinned inkling apologized. "We still have work to do."

"I'm...sorry, too!" the dark-skinned inkling exclaimed. "Yeah, we still gotta work."

"Can I at least call you a name?" he requested.

"Patch is what they call me," he introduced with a toothy grin. "Wish Grizzco's was closer to the east. All these Central Inkopolis squids mess me up. Barely know anyone outside of my friends, when they're in the square."

"Again with the strange names..." Roy sighed. "I should really shut up."

"Anyways, I need to change," Geneva spoke up. "We'll be there any moment now." She dashed off, leaving the others behind. They stood in silence until she returned, wearing the Grizzco outfit. The mask from the sneaky beanie still covered her right eye.

"You allowed to do that?" Patch asked.

"Yeah, I asked Grizzco," she replied. "He didn't really say anything, but he didn't say no."

He shrugged. "I guess that's fair."

The boat continued to drift, until the sky turned a brilliant shade of orange. They were now entering the unpredictable territory of the salmonids. A small building, docks sprawling out from it, came into view. Some towers that Grizzco workers did not access were floating off to the side. This was the Lost Outpost. And now, they were at their destination.

Everyone changed their ink color to pink and super-jumped to the center of the building. It had no roof, so they simply landed on solid ground, a spawn point marking painted onto the cement. They landed in a puddle of ink, where Roy felt something heavy appear in his hands. He emerged from the ink to find that he was holding a Tenta Brella.

"A Tenta Brella?!" he exclaimed. "Whose idea was it to give me this?"

"You're one to talk," Naomi remarked. "I got the Dark Tetra Dualies! My least favorite ones!"

"Eh." Geneva threw a Splat Roller over her shoulder. "Could be worse."

However, the sky began to darken, the egg basket popping out of the platform behind them. An uneasy feeling settling in Roy's stomach, he gulped. If glowflies started to swarm them, it was over from wave one. He could barely use a Tenta Brella, let alone master it.

"A Mothership," Mr. Grizz commented, much to Roy's relief. "You'll need to organize to bring it down. But don't even _think_ about starting a union!"

In the distance, a dark object flew in the sky, green lights flashing on it. Some more figures started emerging from the Mothership, flying towards the shore. Roy walked down to the grated area, where some chinooks were placing plastic white crates. He started blowing the crates up, though he was too slow. One burst open to reveal some lesser salmonids. He started backing up, opening the canopy of the Tenta Brella. Over, the canopy wouldn't detach, folding back against the handle of the brella.

Realizing he had low ink, Roy started running around, looking for a place to submerge and refill his ink tank. He soon found a pink spot of ink, but a cohock simply ran over it, whacking him in the head with its frying pan. The tan-skinned inkling stumbled, dazed as black edged his vision. Another chum approached him and knocked him into the water, causing him to let out a pained cry. He struggled to get back onto the grate, only to dissolve into a cloud of pink ink.

The life preserver floated onto land, Roy's ghost bobbing in the small puddle of ink that was left. He inched towards the center of the map, where the Mothership was flying towards. Chinooks continued to drop crates around him, soon bursting without anyone to blow it up.

"Help..." he moaned. _Where is everyone?_

His silent question was entered when he entered the building. The Mothership had attached itself to the egg basket, sucking up golden eggs from it. Naomi and Patch were aiming at the ship with their shooters, slowly covering it in pink ink. Geneva was running around with the roller on the ground, splatting any chums and smallfries that came her way. She ran into Roy, reviving him, though she didn't seem to be aware of his return. She soon bumped into a cohock, who proceeded to splat her.

The Mothership finally detached from the egg basket, but it came at a cost—all but two eggs were stolen, and now they would have to try collecting each and every egg again to meet the quota.

Panicked, Roy opened the Tenta Brella's canopy and let it shoot off of the handle, causing it to ram into several crates and salmonids. Patch jumped down to revive Geneva with his .52 Gal and started running away from them. He later returned with a golden egg in hand, tossing it into the basket.

"There's a ton of chinooks over there," he remarked. "Don't wanna let them off the hook."

They followed the dark-skinned inkling to the group of docks, where, as Patch had said, several chinooks were landing. Geneva did a vertical swing at one that was trying to fly away, splatting it and causing a golden egg to float down. She jumped over to the crate, destroying it and grabbing the egg that was on top of it. She swam back to the basket. Roy aimed at a chinook himself, destroying both it and the white crate. He jumped up and grabbed the egg from midair. He quickly turned around and headed back to the basket.

Naomi, meanwhile, was dancing around some smallfries, her long hair flying in the wind. Roy's canopy regenerated, and he jumped next to her, launching the canopy from the Tenta Brella once more.

"Huh," Naomi chuckled. "Does protectiveness run in the family?"

"The only reason I helped you is because you're my coworker right now," he shot down the remark. "Wouldn't have saved you otherwise."

"But you at least care about me, right?" she teased. "I mean, I did date your cousin for what, two years?"

"You also cheated on him. For the Vigilante," he pointed out.

"It's not the first time."

Roy blinked, surprised. "That just makes things worse."

"Well, he didn't find out about any of it until the whole incident with the Vigilante," she tried to lighten the mood.

He shook his head. "Enough talking, more fighting."

"Oh, yeah." Some salmonids were surrounding them, raising their weapons. Smirking, the olive-skinned girl leaped into the air, a pink circle marking the area of impact. She plummeted down, creating an explosion of pink ink that splatted most of the salmonids around them. A chinook even got caught in the blast, dropping a golden egg and her feet. Roy grabbed it and tossed it into the egg basket.

"How many eggs do we have now?" Naomi asked herself. She walked over to the front of it and kneeled down to look at the counter. "Eight. We need five more."

"Five?!" Roy gasped. "Cod, we've been slacking big-time! Let's go!"

The tan-skinned boy rushed out to the grated area once more, shooting down chinooks. He grabbed one and headed back to the egg basket to plop it in. He heard some whirring from above him, and he looked up to see that the Mothership was aiming to steal eggs from the basket once more. He started to run back to the building, only to make the mistake of turning into a squid on a grate. He plunged into the water and dissolved once more.

Once again stuck as a life preserver, Roy crawled towards the building. In a similar situation to last time, the Mothership had once again attached itself to the egg basket, sucking away the team's well-earned golden eggs. All three remaining inklings were attacking it this time, allowing some lesser salmonids to sneak in the building.

"Dang it!" Patch growled. "Who has the Sting Ray?"

"Not me!" Geneva replied. "I have a Bomb Launcher!"

"I have Splashdown," added Naomi.

"Which means..." Patch's red eyes widened. "Roy has it! Where the heck is he?"

"Over here!" Roy called, jumping up-and-down in his life preserver.

"Finally!" He threw a bomb at him, reviving him. "Use your Sting Ray against the Mothership!"

"Why?" he demanded, pushing through some lesser salmonids and joining the inklings.

"It can drop golden eggs if you shoot at the top," Naomi explained.

"Hurry," Geneva pled, "before time's up."

Roy pulled out a Sting Ray and shot it up at the Mothership. Just like Naomi said, some golden eggs were floating down from it. However, it wasn't enough. The Mothership was sent flying back a few seconds later, and the tan-skinned boy's Sting Ray expired. The group scrambled to get the golden eggs that had fallen. Patch activated Ink Jet, shooting at the lesser salmonids to clear a path to the eggs. Once they had gathered all the eggs, they found that they only needed two more eggs.

"Two more!" Naomi gasped, looking around. "Where could those chinooks be?"

"Let's split up," Geneva suggested. "Better than just sitting around."

The group nodded and went their separate ways. Roy followed Geneva to the shore, where there was a chinook flying down. He shot it, dropping a golden egg. Geneva grabbed it and started running towards the basket. She tossed it in.

"One more!" Roy exclaimed. "We need one more!"

"Got it!" Patch called, running back to the basket.

"C'mon!" he egged, taking out some salmonids. "Get it in, get it in!"

Patch was about to throw the golden egg inside when the basket closed and retreated into the ground, causing the egg to fly past it. It dissipated into yellow goo, and a siren rang, demanding the crew's return.

Frustrated, Roy cursed and threw his Tenta Brella on the ground. "We almost had it!" he growled. "We almost [redacted] had it!"

"There's always next time," Geneva tried to comfort him. "We can just try again."

Roy sighed. "It's fine," he muttered. "I'm done for today, anyways."

"What? Only one Salmon Run?" Patch marveled. "That's kinda sad."

Roy shot Patch a warning glance, causing the dark-skinned inkling to lose his smile. They super-jumped back to the boat, where Mr. Grizz proceeded to scold them. The words burned in his mind, Roy walked back down to the changing rooms, where he took off the uniform and changed back into his normal clothes.

He threw the varsity jacket on and exited the room. Outside, Patch was waiting, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"What do you want?" he grumbled.

"Y'know, I think I've figured out why you're even here," he answered.

A blush crept onto Roy's face. "Y-You do?" His nervousness returned. If Patch found out the truth, how would he react?

"You like someone," he declared confidently. "There, I said it."

"I-I-I..." the tan-skinned inkling stuttered, his face turning a brighter shade of red.

"Ha, I'm right!" Patch boasted, pumping a fist. Roy was at a loss for words, cursing internally. Patch's face fell. "Shoot, didn't mean to make ya uncomfortable."

"P-Please don't tell him..." Roy begged, his voice quiet.

"Who?"

"Oscar..." he muttered.

"I don't know any Oscars, but OK," Patch said.

"Huh?" The tan-skinned boy looked up at the dark-skinned boy. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" he puzzled.

"...Never mind." Roy walked over to the vending machine and put a coin in, a can of Tentacola popping out on the bottom. "I need a drink."

Roy went to an empty room and drank the can of soda, drowning out his earlier nervousness. He threw it away and walked back on the deck. They were out of salmonid territory now, the sky blue, though the sun was slowly lowering towards the horizon. The ship stopped not far from Inkopolis, and Roy super-jumped back. He landed outside the Grizzco building, surprising a few inklings sitting nearby. He rose to his feet and wiped some dirt off his leggings. He started walking down to the main area of the square, only to come across Oscar.

"Oscar!" he yelped. "I thought you were still with Giovanni!"

"I was until five minutes past," the octoling informed. "...Did you do the Salmon Run? You smell like fish."

"I..." Roy sighed. "Yeah," he admitted. "I thought we could do it together some time."

"About Salmon Run..." Oscar rubbed his arm. "I...do not like."

"What?" he uttered. _So I did two weeks of fish hunting for nothing?_

"Yvonne take me, and..." He frowned. "It hard to splat salmonids. It make me sick."

"Like, seasick? 'Cause Perry gets seasick a lot."

"No..." Oscar shook his head. "It is an Octarian thing. You no will understand."

"I can try," he said. "...Please?"

"Another time," the octoling replied. "When I am the ready."

Roy simply nodded, and the two went their separate ways. He entered the Deca Tower, ready to battle by himself.

Even if his efforts came to naught, it might just have provided him an opportunity to get to know Oscar better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The alternative title of this chapter is, "Roy's Emotional Constipation." You can probably figure out why. Anyways, are you guys glad to see Patch and Naomi again? They do act quite differently when not around Yuri and Inigo, respectively. Other than that, it's just a simple Salmon Run chapter. Unfortunately the last one for this season. It feels strange we only got two Salmon Run chapters this season... To be fair, there was a lot of other things going on. The next chapter's going to be a fun one. I'll give you this small piece of information - the Rainbow Squids are going camping! Isn't that fun? See you next week for our camping episode!


	82. The Forests of Mount Nantai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rainbow Squids go camping. Hijinks ensue.

_Octavia's PoV_

"Hey, squids," Perry spoke up, bringing everyone at the table's attention to him. "Y'know Mount Nantai?"

"Mount Nantai?" Octavia puzzled. "Yeah, what about it?"

"I was thinkin'." The purple-haired inkling smirked. "We could go camp there."

"Is that even legal?" Bonnie asked.

"Not on the mountain itself," he explained, "but there's a camping spot nearby. Lots of peeps use it."

"I'd love to go camping," Geneva commented. "It'd make me think of the farm."

"See, that's one reason why we could go camping," Perry chirped. "For Geneva's sake!"

"Camping would be great!" Yuri exclaimed. "I haven't done it in years!"

"I've...never been camping," Inigo admitted. "My parents never took me."

"Well, that's all the more reason to go!" the yellow-haired inkling exclaimed. "Camping is the one thing we should all experience at least once."

"Wise words, Yuri, wise words," Roy remarked, clapping.

"So, it's settled?" Inigo spoke up. "We're going camping?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, we're going camping."

* * *

Come the weekend, the Rainbow Squids arrived at the Mount Nantai Camping Site, driving in two different cars. The boys took one car, while the girls took another car. The boys arrived a few minutes after the girls did, immediately jumping out after the car had settled.

"Ah, feel that fresh air Inigo?" Perry chirped, crossing his arms. "That's the scent of the mountains."

"We're not _in_ the mountain, Perry," Octavia remarked, leaning against the car. "We're just at a forest near it." She had been the designated driver of the group—Alexis couldn't drive, Geneva was out of practice, and Bonnie didn't feel comfortable driving to a new place. So, it was all up to Via to lead them here.

"Yeah yeah, I know," he acknowledged. "Way to ruin the fun, Via."

"Wha- 'Ruining the fun?!'" The purple-haired boy started snickering before growing into full-blown laughter. Octavia groaned, throwing her hands down. "You're the worst sometimes..."

"Anyways, don't we gotta check in first?" Yuri pointed out. "That's how camping usually works, right?"

"Here, yes," Geneva added, "though it's not for everywhere."

"I'll check in," Perry announced. "I'm the one paying for this."

"Alright, we'll wait for you," Bonnie agreed.

The pale-skinned inkling walked away, and the Rainbow Squids conversed among themselves. He came back a few minutes later with an urchin, who was holding a stamp and stamp pad. The drab attire he wore marked him as a park ranger, some spines poking out from under his hat.

"Hold out yer hands," the urchin instructed. "Make this quick."

Everyone held out their hands, and one-by-one, the urchin went around and stamped everyone's hands with red printing ink. Octavia retreated her hand after she was stamped to look at the design. It simply depicted Mount Nantai, with squid-shaped arrows swirling around it. The words, 'Mount Nantai Camping Site,' were, unsurprisingly, written beneath the mountain, but still within the circle.

"Have fun," the ranger said, putting the stamp pad away. "Don't forget to check out after yer time's up."

"We will!" Alexis chirped. "Thanks!"

The urchin nodded and walked away, leaving the group to their lonesome once more. Yuri was the first to go ahead, running over to the nearby dirt path. The rest of the Rainbow Squids soon followed, walking along the trail. Trees soon surrounded them from all sides, providing shelter from the harsh summer sun. Some flies buzzed in Octavia's ear, much to her discomfort. She made a face and swatted them away. Yet, they still kept coming. It was something she would have to put up with this weekend, it appeared.

Eventually, more and more tents became visible. They walked past a family of jellyfish, who were playing cornhole with the family of sardines next to them. They then walked past a group of inklings Via didn't recognize, exchanging items she was pretty sure were illegal. A separate group of inklings were partying, with one opening a cooler and grabbing a can of soda from it, waving it in the air. Later, they came across a sea anemone couple, taking selfies with the female anemone's phone.

Soon enough, they finally arrived at their campsite, a rather wide area with a sign staked into the ground to mark it. They pushed past the bushes and trees to find a dirt clearing. A pile of logs was stacked in the middle of it, likely meant to be a campfire. The land dropped off behind some more trees, and Octavia could hear the sound of a stream flowing through the area.

"Well, we're here," Roy announced, throwing down the backpack he was carrying and setting down a cooler. "Finally, I can relax."

"No time for relaxing, Roy!" Yuri exclaimed. "We still gotta set up the tents."

"Mhm," Octavia confirmed, setting down the tent she was carrying.

"One tent for the boys, and one tent for the girls," Geneva observed.

"Well, that's nice. None of the boys can snoop in on our girl talk!" Alexis remarked.

"We could still eavesdrop on you..." Inigo noted.

"C'mon, have some decency," the short-haired inkling groaned.

"Let's...just set these up," the green-haired girl concluded.

They proceeded to set up the tents. While the tents were being placed, Inigo set up a table, while Alexis put some food they had bought on it. They gave each other a fist bump and proceeded to help out with the tents. About twenty minutes later, they were ready. The tents were beside each other, both facing the campfire. The boys' tent was green, while the girls' tent was pink. Octavia wiped some sweat off her forehead and walked into the tent. She placed her sleeping bag down on the floor, then putting her backpack on top of it. Alexis walked in after her, placing her sleeping bag next to her sister's. Bonnie and Geneva walked in next. Geneva placed her sleeping bag up against the wall, while Bonnie placed hers next to the fair-skinned girl.

Afterwards, Yuri and Perry left momentarily. They came back with a small gas grill and set it on the table.

Roy eyed the grill. "What's that for?"

"Dinner!" Yuri replied, enthusiastic. "Wouldn't be a camping trip without a grill!"

He sighed. "Fair, fair."

"You squids want anythin'?" Perry asked, turning to the girls.

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "You can cook?"

"Sure I can," he boasted, tugging on the collar of his hoodie. "I'm an expert at it."

"Sure..." Via's trailed off.

"Oh, yeah?" Geneva teased, crossing her arms. "Go ahead. Cook our dinner."

"I-I'll do that!" The purple-haired inkling grabbed some meat out of one of the coolers. "What, you want grilled fish? I'll make a mean grilled fish."

"Grilled fish works," Alexis muttered.

"There better be teriyaki sauce," Bonnie commented.

Perry turned his attention back to the grill and turned it on. He placed the slabs of raw meat on it with some tongs and kept an eye on it.

"You want help?" Yuri offered.

"Hey, Geneva gave me a challenge," he pointed out. "It has to be me, and me alone."

"Aw, OK..." The yellow-haired inkling pouted and walked back to join the rest of the group, while Perry prepared the dinner.

Octavia expected their dinner to be done rather quickly. She continued talking and talking, awaiting her food. Come sunset, her stomach growled. Perry's grilled fish was still not done.

"Geez, what's taking him so long?" Alexis complained. "It's gonna be dark before we can eat."

Suddenly, an unpleasant smell wafted around Octavia. "Is that..." She sniffed the air.

"Smoke!" Inigo interjected, finishing her sentence.

The group turned around. Perry was absent, and dark smoke rose from the grill. Their food was burning.

"Shoot! Turn it off!" Roy cried out, surprised.

Everyone got to their feet and scrambled to their grill. Yuri, being the closest to the table, reached it first, and shut it off. Slowly, the smoke dissipated, revealing the charred remains of the fish. The top of it seemed fine, but black edged its sides. Bonnie grabbed the tongs and flipped one fish over. The meat was as black as the night sky, and the smell wasn't pleasant.

"I hope you like your fish charred," Geneva commented.

"Definitely not," Alexis said, shaking her head. "I like mine nice and juicy."

"Yeah, it starts to lose its flavor when it's burnt," Roy agreed. "Tastes like crap then."

"I like it burnt," Bonnie remarked. "It has a nice flavor."

"But it's super dry..." the red-haired inkling complained.

"What our dinner tastes like isn't important," Inigo tried to calm them down. "It's Perry's fault that they turned out this way. We should be blaming him."

"Where is he, anyways?" Yuri asked, looking around. "I don't see him anywhere."

Just as the dark-skinned inkling finished his sentence, Octavia heard some whistling from up ahead. She stepped onto the trail to see a glance of purple hair, walking her way. Upon seeing the orange-haired inkling, he waved, though Via didn't wave back. She put her hands on her hips, scowling.

"Hey!" Perry greeted. "What's with that face?"

"Our dinner," she stated.

"Yeah, what 'bout it?"

"You burned it," Geneva interjected bluntly.

"Huh? Whaddya mean 'I burned it?!'" he perplexed, surprised.

"Just come look," the wavy-haired girl instructed. He walked over to the grill, and Via proceeded to gesture over to it.

"Ehe... It's not _that_ bad," he brushed it off. "At least you squids stopped it before it could burn further."

"Let's just eat," Inigo uttered, grabbing a plate.

The Rainbow Squids sat at the table, eating the charred grilled fish. Octavia would've preferred it, well, not burnt, but it would have to do. After they finished eating, Yuri opened the drink cooler and pulled out a water bottle.

"I have a new idea!" he announced. "How about we play truth or dare?"

"Truth or dare?" Roy reiterated. "I'm down for that."

"Hopefully I don't get anything embarrassing..." Bonnie muttered.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun!" Octavia enthused.

"Yeah, I know!" Alexis agreed.

"Alright, alright." Yuri placed the bottle on the center of the table. "Alexis can ask first, since she's the youngest. Whoever the bottle lands on is who she has to ask."

"Please don't be me..." Bonnie muttered, crossing her fingers.

"Aight, aight." Alexis placed her fingers on the bottle. "Ready..." She twisted her hand, spinning the bottle. "Go!" The water bottle spun in circles, before slowing down and stopping in front of the blue-haired inkling.

"Darn it," she cursed.

"OK, Bon-Bon, truth or dare?" Alexis asked, putting her elbows on the table. A mischievous smile crossed her features.

"Umm, dare," she replied.

"I dare you...to lick the bottom of your shoe!"

"What?! Oh..." Bonnie brought her leg up, looking at her feet. She took one of her shoes up and turned it so the sole was facing her face. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Do it! Do it!" Roy chanted, slamming his fists on the table. "You can't back out now!"

"Yeah, it's truth or dare, baby!" Perry exclaimed.

Bonnie stuck her tongue out, her hands shaking. She licked the shoe, immediately puckering thereafter. Slowly, she put it back on, and now she sat with her hands resting on the table, clasped together. Her expression made it seem like she just witnessed four Inkstrikes try to overwhelm her with enemy ink instead of just licking the bottom of her shoe.

"Aight, I'm next," the purple-haired inkling announced, placing his pale-skinned hands on the water bottle. "Here we goooo!" The bottle spun and spun, until it landed on Yuri. He turned to his friend, smirking. "Truth or dare, Yuri?"

"I'll take a dare," he answered.

"No one's willing to be honest, huh," Octavia snickered.

"Well, can't take it back now," Yuri defended, putting his hands up.

"K, Yuri, I dare you to kiss the person to your right," Perry instructed. "On the lips."

"Woah, things escalated fast!" the dark-skinned inkling exclaimed. He looked to his right, though there was no one beside him on the bench. However, the person across from him was Geneva. She looked at Perry, who simply gave a thumbs-up.

"Guess I'm kissing you," she muttered.

"Well, at least it's you," he mused.

"Just make it quick."

The two leaned towards each other and kissed each other briefly. They quickly sat back down, both blushing from embarrassment.

"...We both have fish breath," Geneva noted.

"Yeah..." Yuri breathed. "Let's not talk about this again."

"Agreed."

The group turned to Inigo. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Spin the bottle!" Alexis replied. "It's your turn to ask."

"Oh!" He put his hands on the water bottle and spun it, spinning around until it landed on Alexis. He smirked. "Truth or dare, Alexis?"

"Oh, I didn't want it to land on me!" she fretted. "But fine, I'll answer. Truth."

"Truth, alright." He placed his hand on his chin, thinking for a little bit, before opening his mouth to say, "What weapon are you the worst at?"

"That's easy. Chargers," the short-haired inkling replied. "I like moving around. With a charger, you basically have to camp the whole match."

"Not with all chargers," Bonnie argued. "Squiffers and Bamboozlers are very mobile compared to a Splat Charger or an E-liter."

"Hey, that was my question!" she complained.

The beige-skinned girl snickered. "Alright. It's my turn now." She proceeded to spin the bottle, which landed on Perry. "Oh, Perry..." She looked over at the purple-haired boy. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare!" he immediately replied.

"Alright, you have to strip down to your underwear-"

"That's not too bad."

"- _and_ dance like a chicken. For five minutes."

"What?! Are ya tryin' to embarrass me?!" he protested.

"Get to it, Perry." She raised her hand and clapped, dismissing him.

"Agh..." The purple-haired inkling got up from the table and walked over to the boys' tent. He came out a minute or two later, only in pink boxers. Octavia pulled out her phone and proceeded to play a polka tune. Begrudgingly, Perry proceeded to dance to the music. Via held back her laughter, her smile betraying her enjoyment of the scene. After the music finished, he sat back down, defeated.

"I think I got second-hand embarrassment from that," Roy groaned.

"Same," Yuri agreed.

"Anyways, it's my turn now," Geneva announced. She glanced over at Perry. "You're not changing back?"

"I mean, it's almost night. Might as well go to sleep after this is done and over with," he defended.

Geneva sighed and spun the bottle. This time, it landed on Octavia.

"Ooh, gimme a truth!" she exclaimed before Geneva could ask the question.

"A truth?" She blinked. "OK. Do you like the Squid Sisters or Off the Hook better?"

"Oof, that's tough," the wavy-haired inkling admitted. The Squid Sisters were the most iconic in her mind—they were the idol duo when she first started battling in turf wars, after all. It was always her dream to meet them, and by learning of their role in the New Squidbeak Splatoon, she kind of achieved that. Off the Hook, on the other hand, were a very unique group, unlike any she had ever seen before. Their synergy is what made them successful, and their music stands out from any other group. She was also inclined to believe the theory that Pearl and Marina were girlfriends. With all that in mind...

"I'll say Off the Hook," Via concluded. "You're not hearing music like theirs anywhere else!"

Yuri looked at the bottle. "Finally, it's my turn to ask!" He spun the water bottle, which ended up landing on Roy. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said. "No way I'm answering a truth."

"Hiding your secrets, Roy?" he teased. "Oh well. I dare you to sing Color Pulse!"

"Singing?! Y'know I'm terrible at it, right?" the red-haired inkling complained.

"Exactly." Yuri did some finger guns, much to the other boy's annoyance.

"Fine, fine." Roy cleared his throat and began to sing. " _Rasta ruminai yonabiarubawe..._ " When he got to the rapping part of Color Pulse, he tripped up on his words in an effort to match the speed Pearl sung at. He forgot the lyrics towards the end of the song, instead substituting them for humming. After he finished, he looked at the group. "How did I do?"

"You sounded like a dying zapfish," Perry remarked, clapping, "but other than that, it's good."

"Wha- Isn't sounding like a dying zapfish a bad thing?!" Roy cried.

"I dunno, is it?" Octavia teased.

Roy glared at her. "Just move on to the next person."

"My turn!" Octavia placed her hands on the water bottle. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to spin it. It stopped on Geneva.

"Oh? Whatcha gonna ask me?" the green-haired inkling remarked.

"I take it you want a truth?" the wavy-haired girl asked. Geneva nodded. "Alright. Who's your crush?"

She immediately blushed. "Uh... Is a description fine?"

"Oho, so you do have a crush!" Via jested. "It's truth or dare! You can't back out now!"

"I wasn't backing out," she countered, shaking her head. "I was just asking for an alternative way to answer the question."

"I... Oh, go ahead," she conceded.

"OK." Geneva gulped, her blush still present. "Well, my crush...is nice."

"How descriptive," Roy deadpanned.

"Are they a boy or a girl?" Perry asked.

"Or neither?" Inigo added.

"A girl," the long-haired girl revealed. "She's smart, and she's really good at battling."

"Really?" Bonnie marveled. "Is she as good as you?"

"Yeah, you are really good," the boy with the ponytail agreed. "Even after that vacation, you're still in top shape."

"Well... She kicked my butt once," she confessed. "I don't remember it, though."

"Knocked ya cold," Perry mused. "Never thought of that to be your type."

"Yeah. Ironically it was after she kicked my butt that I fell for her," Geneva continued. "I woke up, and she was looking at me. And then she smiled. She was so pretty in the sunset..." She shook her head. "I'm done. Who's next?"

"That'd be me," Roy declared. Once more, the bottle was spun, this time landing on Inigo. "Huh. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," he replied.

"OK. Who's your new girlfriend?"

"The one question I didn't want to be asked," he groaned, digging his face into his hand. "...It's Naomi."

"Naomi?" Bonnie puzzled. "Like, the one that dated the Vigilante for a month Naomi?"

"The same," he confirmed.

"I heard about that," Geneva noted. "So, after they broke up, she came to you instead?" Inigo nodded in confirmation. "Wow. I knew she had a new boyfriend, but I didn't think it'd be you."

"Well, now you know," Inigo finished. "Just don't talk about it."

"Alright. I know well how to keep a secret."

They continued playing truth or dare into the night, when Octavia started to get tired. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Alexis yawned as well, followed by the rest of the Rainbow Squids.

"I'm beat," Geneva said. "I'm going to sleep."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Inigo got up from his seat. "At least we don't have to change into PJs."

He was correct—Bonnie made the rest of the boys do the chicken dance in their underwear. "I'm putting on a shirt," Yuri announced. "I usually sleep with one on."

"While you do that, we'll change," Octavia announced. "We're still in these sweaty clothes."

"Mhm," Alexis agreed. "I want something nice and cool."

"G'night, girls," Perry said, climbing into the boys' tent.

"Good night," the inkling girls replied back.

They entered the tent, where they promptly changed into pajamas, one at a time. Octavia and Geneva went, then Alexis and Bonnie. Octavia climbed into her sleeping bag and looked over at the green-haired inkling. She had put a sleeping mask on, her back against the wall of the tent. Via smiled and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

She woke up in the middle of the night when she felt something grab onto her. She jumped at the feeling, only to find Alexis with her arms wrapped around her older sister's arm. Her eyebrows were furrowed, a frown on her face. She made a small whining noise.

"Alexis..." Octavia uttered. "I'm here." She placed a bronze-skinned hand on her sister's hand. "Don't worry."

She didn't think it helped much, but the short-haired girl's face relaxed a little bit, seemingly more at peace.

Via looked over at Bonnie and Geneva. The former slept peacefully, while the latter was turning in her sleeping bag, muttering something.

She wasn't surprised. For the majority of time Via knew her, Geneva had a bad case of nightmares. The last time she remembered her sleeping in peace was a few weeks before they battled together for the first time, at a sleepover. It seemed it still persisted, even after her vacation.

But now, Alexis was suffering them.

Why? She didn't know. She probably wouldn't get an answer. So, she went back to sleep, hoping to awake in the morning.

Beams of sunlight met Octavia's face, and her eyes fluttered open, squinting to adjust to the light. She sat up and looked at her side. Alexis was already gone, and so was Geneva. The wavy-haired inkling crawled over to Bonnie and shook her shoulder.

"Wake up, sleepy-head," she told her friend. "It's morning."

"Ngh..." The blue-haired girl's eyes opened slightly, focusing on Via. "I'm tired. Can't I sleep more?"

"But we have a fun day of adventure ahead of us! Like hiking! Hiking around Mount Nantai would be fun, wouldn't it?"

"I guess."

"So, get up! We still need to take a shower!"

"Oh, OK." Bonnie sat up, putting on her retro specs. "Wonder what breakfast will be."

The two girls crawled outside. Alexis and Geneva were seated next to each other, talking. Mimicking the way she wore the sneaky beanie's mask typically, Geneva had a proper eyepatch on the right side of her head.

"Hey," Octavia greeted. The two girls turned around to face the other two.

"What's for breakfast?" the girl with the double bun asked.

"Toast." Geneva grabbed a toaster from the table and showed it to them. "We have bread, and this toaster."

"Toast?" Via repeated. "Alright." Octavia and Bonnie put two slices of bread into the toaster, and a minute or two later, they popped out, now donning a golden-brown color. They buttered the toast and began to eat it.

"Where's the boys?" Bonnie asked as they ate it.

"Down by the stream," Alexis replied. "Dunno what they're doing."

"I'll go check it out," Octavia announced, finishing the toast. "We still have to shower, after all."

She threw the plate the toast was on away and walked down to the bank. Indeed, Roy, Yuri, Inigo, and Perry were all present, still in their underwear. They were simply standing next to each other, facing the river.

"Uh..." she started, curious. "What are you squids doing?"

Yuri flinched and turned to face the bronze-skinned inkling, pulling his pants up. "Shoot! Um... Just admiring the scenery!"

Perry turned around, nervous. "Y-Yeah, nothing to see here!"

"And you're admiring it. All together?"

"Yeah, we're totally not peeing in the river," Roy added.

"Wait, you _peed_ in the river?!" Octavia cried. "There's a bathroom five minutes from here!"

"Sorry, Via," the purple-haired inkling apologized with a shrug. "Couldn't hold it any longer."

"It was a nice bonding experience," the yellow-haired inkling added with a smirk.

"I can't believe you guys..." she groaned. "Look, we're all awake. Let's go shower."

"Great." Roy climbed up the bank, gesturing for the rest of them to follow. "Let's go."

After gathering the girls, the Rainbow Squids started walking to the bathhouse. There were a few bathhouses scattered throughout the camping site, so they didn't need to walk far before they reached one. There were two bathhouses—one for boys, and one for girls.

"You better not sneak a peek," Alexis warned the boys.

"Don't worry," Perry promised. "I have some decency."

"I kinda doubt it," Via whispered to her sister.

"We'll see," she whispered back. "We'll see."

The groups separated, and Octavia entered the girls' bathhouse with the others. It was separated into two sections—one for ink-based creatures, and one for all other creatures. Being inklings, they entered the section labeled with a squid. Underneath the label was a blue square, marking the ink color of the shower. The girls undressed and changed their ink color to match the shower's. Geneva immediately dashed into the shower after she was done, much to Octavia's confusion.

Octavia, Alexis, and Bonnie entered after her. They stayed close to each other, sharing their shampoo and conditioner. As they showered, the wavy-haired girl glanced over at Geneva. Her back was turned, rubbing shampoo through her hair. After she rinsed herself, she left as soon as she came.

"You girls think Geneva's acting weird?" Via spoke up. "She didn't join us at all."

"Yeah," Alexis agreed. "Maybe it's related to why she keeps hiding her eye."

"Definitely," Bonnie concurred. "I don't get it. She could just tell us why. We're her friends."

"It's probably like, a huge secret," the wavy-haired inkling theorized. "Let's not pry on it."

"Yeah," the beige-skinned inkling concluded.

Geneva was waiting for them in the locker room, wearing the same clothes she wore the previous day. The other girls changed into fresh clothes, and they proceeded to leave the bathhouse. The boys were waiting for them outside.

"Alright," Inigo started. "Shall we go hiking?"

"Yep," Geneva responded. "I'm pumped."

"Alright." Alexis jumped up between them and threw a victory sign in the air. "Rainbow Squids, let's go!"

* * *

They proceeded to spend the rest of the day hiking. Nothing particularly eventful happened, but it was a good bonding experience. Inigo almost walked off a cliff a few times, but Roy saved him before he could fall. They even hiked up to the top of Mount Nantai, where they proceeded to rest. While they took a break, Alexis proceeded to tell a ghost story.

"You wanna hear a story I heard 'bout this place?" she proposed.

"Go ahead," Inigo permitted.

"Alright, so." She clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "Legend has it that if you go to Mount Nantai alone, on a quiet night, you can see a tiny, pale shadow, wriggling and wreathing in the forest. And then, suddenly, BAM!" She clapped them together, causing everyone to flinch. "You hear an ear-splitting scream, loud enough to shatter glass." No one reacted to her last sentence. "That's the part where you run for your life."

"Bah, that's nonsense," Geneva dismissed. "Probably some animal. Or a squid using a Killer Wail."

"I dunno, this mountain's almost abandoned," Bonnie defended with a shiver.

"Guess we'll never know," Octavia said with a shrug.

When they arrived back at the campsite, it was once again sunset. The group made s'mores, roasting marshmallows over the campfire. Yuri suggested that they roast chestnuts instead, but the other Rainbow Squids shot down the idea. Soon, they were once again ready to go back to sleep. Octavia plopped down on her sleeping bag, exhausted, and quickly fell asleep.

Via once again woke up in the middle of the night, Alexis clinging to her once again. The wavy-haired inkling looked at the other side of the tent, only to find Geneva absent.

 _That's weird,_ she thought. She wiggled her way out of her sister's grasp and stepped out of the tent, putting on sandals. She examined the campsite. Geneva was nowhere to be found. She walked down to the riverbank. She wasn't there, either.

"Maybe she just took a walk," Octavia mused to herself. "There's nothing to worry about."

Though, her sisterly instincts were kicking in. She didn't know how long the green-haired inkling had been out, but she worried something bad would happen to her.

She returned to the campsite, searching the area. She soon spotted some fresh footprints, leading onto the trail. Assuming the footprints to belong to Geneva, she started to follow them. They led further into the area, passing by some more tents. The footprints soon led off the main trail, into a side, hiking trail. It was surrounded with vegetation, the trees and bushes thick with leaves.

"Why'd she go this way?" she wondered out loud. "Maybe she's going to hug trees?" She laughed at her joke. "But wait, she could've just done that at the campsite. Hmm..."

Octavia started walking down the trial, leaves brushing her legs. She ventured deeper into the forest, the trees soon coating her with darkness. She could barely see anything in front of her—only the faint glow of the underside of her tentacles. But, she had to press on. She wasn't going to leave without Geneva, and if she failed to find her, then she would definitely not get lost in the forest.

Eventually, she spotted another inkling, the underside of her long hair glowing dimly. Excited, she started to run towards her.

"Geneva!" she called. "Is that you?"

"Huh?" The inkling turned around. "Octavia?" That was definitely Geneva's voice.

"It is you!" she exclaimed. She stopped a few feet in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she puzzled. "It's pitch black out here."

"That's what I should be asking you!"

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk. But that still doesn't answer my question."

"I woke up and didn't see you, so I started looking for you. But now that I found you, we can walk together!"

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, but-" She paused when she heard something rustle in the leaves. Octavia's face fell, nervous as she looked around for the source of the sound.

"Who's there?" Geneva demanded, pulling out a glowing weapon. Judging by the pattern, it was an original Hero Shot Replica.

A soft laughter could be heard. Octavia looked up to see a glowing red dot within the tree. The dot then disappeared, and the branch rustled. She felt enemy ink drip onto her.

"Look out!" Octavia exclaimed, tackling Geneva. They crashed to the ground, just in time to escape a ring of glowing circles around them. Magenta ink exploded within the ring, some of it getting on their shoes. The red glowing dot appeared again, this time facing them. Octavia pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight, facing the phone towards them.

Their attacker was a funny-looking inkling that was younger than them, wearing sleek, black clothing, which included a crop top, shorts, and boots, revealing her tan skin. Her hair was in a braid that reached down to her waist, and a fourth tentacle rested on the side of head, like it was part of a side cut. Black shades hid her eyes, and she had a devilish smile on her face.

"An octoling!" Geneva gasped.

"That's an octoling?" Octavia puzzled. "What's one doing here?"

"Of course..." she grumbled. "Octo Valley is near here. But I thought they moved...?"

They didn't have time to talk further, as the octoling began shooting at them. They rolled out of the way, dodging the shots. Geneva fired back at their attacker, shooting green ink back at her. However, it appeared that her aim wasn't to splat the octoling—she was inking the ground.

"You have Calamari Inkantation on your phone?" the long-haired inkling asked her friend.

"What? Calamari Inkantation?" she reiterated. "I do, but why ask now?"

"I have an idea." Geneva super-jumped over the octoling, causing her to look around, confused. The inkling jumped down on their attacker, pinning her to the ground. The octoling's weapon was knocked out of her hand, and she struggled to free herself from Geneva. "Via! Play Calamari Inkantation!"

"Uh, OK." She pulled up the song on her phone, and she turned the volume up, the Squid Sisters' voices now coming through the speaker. The octoling stopped struggling as the song progressed. Geneva let go of her, standing up and putting her weapon away. The octoling got up as well, reaching for her weapon.

"...Must...fight..." she muttered, her voice strained. "Commander King...wills it."

"I don't think it's working," Octavia remarked.

"Maybe we need a live performance?" Geneva pondered. She grabbed the octoling and apprehended her, causing her to gasp. "We'll figure out what to do with her."

Via turned the song off, causing the octoling to regain her aggression, flailing her legs. "Let's go back."

"Right."

The two inklings arrived back at the campsite, dawn approaching. Inigo climbed out of his tent, yawning. He looked over at them, surprised.

"Who's that?" he asked, examining the octoling.

"Name not important," the octoling growled. "I splat with honor."

"We're not gonna splat you, relax," Octavia calmed her down. She looked at Inigo. "I was thinking we could bring her to the New Squidbeak Splatoon."

"...But we'll have to go back to Inkopolis first," he pointed out. "Literally no one else is awake."

"We leave today anyways," Geneva remarked. "It won't be that long."

"Thank cod..." Octavia muttered, relieved. "I'm done with all these bugs."

A few hours passed, with Octavia keeping an eye on the octoling. Geneva was originally watching her, but she fell asleep, resting her head on the table. While she waited for the rest of the Rainbow Squids to wake up, she attempted to make conversation with the octoling.

"So, what's your name?" she asked her.

"I say name not important," she snapped. "Despicable inklings. Let me go."

"No," she stood her ground.

"Despicable, despicable," she scoffed. "I splatted for sure."

Alexis was the last to get up, and when she saw the octoling, she let out a scream. "Ah! What's an octoling doing here?!"

"She jumped me and Geneva in the middle of the night," Via explained. "We're gonna bring her back to Inkopolis and hand her over to the New Squidbeak Splatoon."

"Whatcha think the New Squidbeak Splatoon's gonna do?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "You're lucky you captured her at all!"

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," the wavy-haired inkling deadpanned.

"I-I'm just being rational! You know about the Great Turf War... We almost lost to the Octarians!"

"Hmm..." Octavia pulled out her phone and started playing Calamari Inkantation again. The octoling relaxed, though she appeared uncomfortable. "It has some effect on her..."

"I..." She bit her lip. "I cannot...forget...mission..."

"Looks painful," Yuri commented from the other side of the table. "Maybe the name question will work now?"

"Maybe." Octavia looked over at the octoling. "So, what's your name?"

"...Name..." The octoling gulped. "...Elyse Pallidus..."

"Oh, that's pretty," she remarked. She turned off Calamari Inkantation, causing Elyse to shake her head furiously.

"Use force so I give name," she growled. "Despicable inklings."

"Via!" Bonnie called from within the girls' tent. "Come pack your bags!"

"Oh!" she gasped. "Right!" She stood up. "Watch over Elyse for me, OK?" she requested of Alexis. The short-haired inkling nodded, and Octavia climbed in the tent, packing her belongings.

After everything was out of the tent, they folded it back up, now able to be carried. Octavia picked it up and looked back over at the table. Inigo tugged on it. Alexis grabbed Elyse and stood up. The boy with the ponytail woke Geneva up and started to fold the table once she was off it. Soon, everything was set. They could start returning to the cars and go back to the place they came from.

"That was a fun camping trip, wasn't it?" Perry remarked as they headed back towards the entrance.

"Octolings aside, yes," Geneva agreed. "It was fun."

"Booyah! Mission accomplished," the purple-haired inkling cheered, pumping a fist. "We need to go camping again some time."

"Yeah," Inigo added. "It would be nice to go here again."

"Double booyah!" Yuri exclaimed.

The rest of the Rainbow Squids cheered, while Elyse simply scowled.

Finally, their camping trip had come to an end, and now they were returning to Inkopolis with a possible new friend in hand. Octavia just hoped that whatever the New Squidbeak Splatoon had in store, it would lead to Elyse being freed from the Octarian army.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes to make here.  
> 1\. Commander King is another character of mine; he will not appear in "The Rainbow Squids". However, he is in another story that I may or may not publish to AO3. He doesn't play a major role there, but it does provide some insight into his character. I thought referring to him here would be a neat reference to it.  
> 2\. The idea of the Rainbow Squids bringing back an octoling is remnant of a scrapped version of the Season 2 finale. In the original version, they didn't encounter Agent 3 at all, instead finding a sanitized octoling and bringing her back to Inkopolis. I scrapped it early into Season 2 because it was just too odd - besides, there was not a reason for them to go down there in that version.  
> 3\. Elyse is Brayden's sister - they have the same last name. If you're wondering when Brayden said his last name, it was in Bonus Story 3, when Octa Prisma is introducing themselves to Peyton.
> 
> I don't have much to add, though I'm sorry this is, once again, a little late. I'm not particularly in the mood to talk right now.


	83. Sea of Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did the Rainbow Squids form?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Squid Sisters' dialogue is taken from Splatoon 1.

_Yuri's PoV_

_September 2nd, 2014_

_Walking through the halls of West Inkopolis Middle School was a yellow inkling boy, clutching the straps of his backpack. It was the first day of eighth grade, and it is often a hallmark for young inklings. Eighth grade, a year of change. Most inklings gained the ability to transform during this year, and it was also the last year of required schooling in Inkopolis. And with gaining the ability to transform came the ability to participate in ink battles._

_Yuri was excited. As soon as he turned 14, he could officially register himself to participate in ink battles. But that wasn't all—he also needed the ability to change forms. And he wasn't quite old enough for that just yet._

_"Hey, Yuri!" someone called. He turned around to see a purple inkling boy running up to him, wearing a CoroCoro cap on his head. "You've seen Roy yet?"_

_"Roy?" Yuri blinked. "What about him?"_

_"Nothing," he replied. "I just haven't seen him. And he's usually here by now."_

_"Oh, that's weird," he admitted. "I'm sure he's alright. It'd take a lot to stop him."_

_The bell rang, and the two boys looked at each. "That was quick," the purple inkling remarked. He started running off. "See ya later, Yuri! Lunch, if we're not lucky!"_

_"Bye!" He waved and lowered his hand. He started walking to his homeroom, scanning the halls. He soon found it and entered the room. Loe behold, his homeroom teacher was a teacher he didn't particularly like. Ms. Poma, a blue angelfish, was one of the meanest teachers in school. He and Bonnie had her for language class last year, and she was absolutely terrible. She constantly failed everyone in the class, pitting them against the work of college students. The only student she liked was a single jellyfish, who was a writing prodigy. Unfortunately, he was not in seventh grade language class now._

_Ms. Poma slapped a meter stick in her hand and pointed at Yuri. "Yuri Gahhm," she snarled, her lips curling. "Go sit down. Right there." She pointed at the seat closest to the door._

_"OK, OK..." The yellow inkling sat down where the angelfish instructed, waiting for the rest of the people in his homeroom to pour in. He tapped his foot, impatient._

_Ms. Poma, strangely, did not tell one green inkling to sit down. Instead, she directed her to the wall, where she stood, nervous._

_She turned to the class and cleared her throat. "Attention, you freshness-obsessed pricks. We have a new student attending our school." She pulled out a paper and read the name on it. "'Geneva Gonati.' She comes from the countryside. Say hi, Geneva."_

_"Hi," said the green inkling, shuffling her feet._

_"Sit there," she instructed, pointing at an empty desk. "Go! Good squids should sit down, and listen to their teacher."_

_Geneva scrambled to the desk, sitting down without saying another word. Ms. Poma proceeded to hand out their schedules, and Yuri was quick to read it. His first class was science. He never was a fan of science..._

_The bell rang, and Ms. Poma yelled, "Scram! Stop sitting around all day!"_

_Yuri got up from his seat, but instead of leaving immediately, he walked over to the new squid, Geneva. She held the schedule in her hands, donning a poker face. Upon Yuri's arrival, she gasped, surprised._

_"Hey!" he greeted. "Nice to meet ya!"_

_"Um... Nice to meet you too," she greeted back. "What class do you have first?"_

_"Science," he replied._

_"With..." She looked at the paper again. "Mr. Portugal?"_

_"Yeah!"_

_"Woah, we're in the same class."_

_"Booyah!" Yuri cheered, pumping a fist. "Let's go there together."_

_"OK," she simply said, raising an eyebrow._

_Nonetheless, they left the classroom, Ms. Poma yelling at them to go to class. Some people in the grade below them were walking into class, worried looks on their faces. The two inklings simply walked past them and started searching for the science classroom._

_"Too bad you got stuck with Ms. Poma for homeroom," the yellow inkling remarked. "She's one of the meanest teachers in the school."_

_"I see," she muttered. "Is Mr. Portugal any nicer?"_

_"So I heard," he replied. "Apparently he's pretty funny."_

_"Hm," Geneva said with a smile, closing her eyes. "Just as long as he doesn't tell stories the entire class. I had a teacher like that last year."_

_"Ha ha," Yuri laughed. "By the way, if you need someone to sit with at lunch, you can sit with me and my pals."_

_"If I'm not the only girl, then...sure," she muttered._

_"Don't worry, ya won't be," he said with a wink._

_They arrived at class and promptly took their seats. Mr. Portugal, a man o' war, proceeded to go over the syllabus and ended the class teaching them about the scientific method. Yuri didn't see Geneva after they left class, though hopefully, he would see her at lunch._

_However, at lunch, he and his friends found himself with a much more major predicament._

_Come lunch, an inkling boy—one that could change between forms—with tan skin and shoulder-length red hair walked up to their table, much to their confusion. Yuri huddled near Perry, staring up at the boy with bewilderment. The red-haired boy seemed equally confused, raising an eyebrow._

_"Are you a high-schooler?" Bonnie asked, cowering behind Octavia. "You look so mature..."_

_"What are you talking about?" the boy puzzled, looking between them. "It's just me."_

_"Huh? Did you do somethin' to Roy?" Perry demanded, stepping up to him. He grabbed a fork and pointed at him. "I'm not afraid to use this!"_

_"Perry! What the heck?!" he cried out. "I_ am _Roy!"_

_Perry lowered his hand. "Oh."_

_"But I thought Roy didn't change yet," Octavia puzzled. "When did this-" She gestured to the tan-skinned inkling. "-happen?"_

_"Since yesterday," Inigo explained. "Trust me, I was at his house yesterday."_

_"Why didn't ya tell us?" Yuri asked._

_"Yeah, I was worried about him!" the orange inkling complained._

_"I wanted it to be a surprise," the indigo inkling countered. "And it worked! See?"_

_The yellow inkling turned back to Roy. "Can you turn into a squid?"_

_"A squid?" he repeated. "OK." The tan-skinned inkling became covered in red ink, his features becoming indistinguishable as his form shrunk to the size of a squid. His backpack and lunch bag fell to the ground, a red squid now sitting where Roy once stood. The squid sat up and waved a tentacle._

_"Woah." Perry leaned over and picked up Roy, holding him out in front of his face. "Dude, you're tiny!"_

_Roy scowled at him. "That's what you say," he grumbled. He transformed back, causing the purple inkling to let go in surprise. "It feels weird to transform into a squid. I'm small, and I can't walk."_

_"I bet you'll get used to it," Yuri assured him. "I mean, if you want to play a turf war, you'll have to transform all the time! And you can hide in ink now! Isn't that super-duper fresh?"_

_"I guess..." Roy scratched the back of his head. "But I'm still 13. I don't turn 14 for another two weeks."_

_"Yeah, so you'll have time to get used to it!" he chirped._

_He smiled, pumping a fist. However, his face quickly fell. He looked back at the group of inklings, a worried look etching his features._

_"But I won't be playing turf war with the rest of you!" he panicked. "That's gonna suck!"_

_"Um... Am I interrupting something?" a new voice asked._

_Yuri looked past Roy to see a familiar green inkling._ Geneva! _The girl was holding a tray of food, frowning._

_"Oh, it's the new squid," Perry remarked. "Hi."_

_"Hi." She scanned the group. "Yuri, Octavia, and Bonnie... You three are all here."_

_Via looked at the yellow inkling. "You asked her to eat with you too?"_

_Yuri nodded. "Yeah! I just can't leave a newbie to sit all by themself!"_

_"Huh?" Inigo walked up to Geneva, an eyebrow raised. "Who are you?"_

_"Geneva," she replied. "That's my name."_

_"You said she's new?" Roy asked, looking down at Yuri. He gave a quick nod._

_"Come sit down," Octavia suggested, patting an empty seat next to her. "Next to us."_

_"OK." The green inkling walked over to the orange inkling and sat down, placing her food tray on the table. The group now turned to face each other, silent._

_"So... What now?" the tan-skinned inkling asked, sitting down at last._

_"I think we need to make a promise first," Inigo announced, still standing on the floor of the cafeteria. He reached out his hand and hovered it over the center of the table, palm down._

_"Which is...?" Octavia asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"We won't start doing turf wars...until after all of us can change forms," he declared. "We've been friends for years, and we've done almost everything together. Why not do the same for here?"_

_"Where do I fit into this?" Geneva asked, looking over at the indigo inkling. "I just met you squids. I'm not your friend..."_

_"We can be friends," Yuri remarked. He placed his hand over Inigo's. "That's why we all invited you here, right? Because we want to be your friend."_

_Her eyes grew wide with wonder. "You really think so?"_

_"Yeah," Bonnie muttered. "We can be friends."_

_"Why don't you be our friend?" Inigo suggested. "You'll fit in perfectly."_

_Geneva looked between the inklings and smiled. "Thanks." She placed her hand over Yuri's. "I'll make this pact with you too."_

_Everyone else placed their hands on top of one another, and then Inigo continued to speak. "From this day forth, until we can all change forms, none of us will participate in a turf war. Tentacle promise." Everyone nodded with determined faces. "Alright. Three, two, one..."_

_"Booyah!" everyone cheered, throwing their hands up into the air._

_The tentacle promise was made. Now, the wait begun._

* * *

_May 28th, 2015_

_The end of the school year was nearing. Most inklings Yuri had gained the ability to change forms by now, himself included. Shortly after his fourteenth birthday, he had practically woken up in a new body. His once yellow skin, slightly darker than the color of his ink, had become a dark brown, and his overall features had become...more adultlike. It took a few weeks to get used to, but now, he was an expert at changing between a kid and a squid._

_Everyone in his friend group had the ability to change forms now...except Perry. It has been two months to the day since he turned 14, yet he still looked like the seventh graders that kept running around in the eighth-grade hallways._

_Someone started playing Calamari Inkantation on loop before school started in his classroom a few weeks ago, and it became a habit. One inkling placed a radio down on a lab table and pressed the play button, causing the heavenly tune to echo throughout the classroom. Yuri started humming to it, soon dancing to it. The Squid Sisters' hit song was just too groovy to resist._

_"Yo, Yuri," Perry's voice greeted._

_Yuri stopped dancing and looked over towards the door. A pale-skinned inkling stood in the doorway, looking at him expectantly. His purple hair was tied up into a ponytail, some bangs covering his forehead. There was only one explanation..._

_"Perry!" he gasped, running over to him. "You finally changed!" He punched his shoulder lightly and started changing between a kid and a squid rapidly in celebration._

_"Huh?" Geneva lifted her head, looking over at Yuri and Perry. "Oh!" She walked over to him. "Finally, we can all play turf wars together."_

_"I know, right?" the dark-skinned inkling remarked, changing back into his kid form. He turned back to Perry. "Do the others know yet?"_

_"Nah, just got here," he replied. "Plan to tell them when I see 'em, though. Just wanted to see you first."_

_"Well, now we got a plan," the other boy rambled on. "We go to the registration office, register, and get a weapon and some gear! And then we can battle together!"_

_"Yeah, yeah," Perry agreed, his voice getting higher with excitement. "That's superfresh! Right after school, right?"_

_"Didn't we talk about this a while back?" Geneva pointed out with a shrug._

_"Yeah," Yuri acknowledged. "Which is why I mentioned it."_

_She laughed. "Of course you did. Didn't think anyone forgot."_

_The boys laughed as well, and then Perry said, "Ah, well. See ya later."_

_"See ya," Yuri said back, waving to him as he returned to his seat. It appears that at last, he and his friends would participate in their first turf war together._

* * *

_Shortly after registering, Yuri received a starter's gear set—a white headband, a basic tee, cream basics, and a Splattershot Jr. So did everyone else. They changed into the starter's gear and exited the registration center. They walked to Inkopolis Plaza, which wasn't far from the building. And when they arrived, they looked around in awe._

_Yuri had only been in the plaza when the fox and tanuki statues were being cleaned, but now, when there wasn't a big crowd standing in front of the statues, it seemed...normal. Several inklings walked around the plaza, some chatting with each other. One inkling exited the clothing shop on the side of the plaza, carrying a few bags of clothes. Another entered a café on the other side of the plaza. However, perhaps the biggest draw was the Squid Sisters. There was a ramp leading up to the top floor, where one could peek inside the stage used for Inkopolis News—he recognized it by the bright colors used. Several inklings were crowded around the window, to the point where he couldn't even see the Squid Sisters._

_Yuri turned his attention to Inkopolis Tower. It was one of the two towers in Inkopolis, the other being Deca Tower, though barely anyone young goes to the square, where it was located. It just wasn't very fresh. Inkopolis Plaza, on the other hand, was very fresh. Especially when the Squid Sisters were here! Oddly enough, the Great Zapfish wasn't curled around the tower, like it usually was. He ignored it, however. Perhaps it was just going to get food somewhere._

_"Wow..." Geneva breathed. "So this is Inkopolis Plaza."_

_"Yep," Inigo chuckled, crossing his arms. "Fresh, right?"_

_"We gotta battle," Perry announced, turning around and moonwalking towards the tower. "It's a rite of passage."_

_"But there's only seven of us," Octavia pointed out, scanning the group. "We'll need an eighth squid if we want to play turf war."_

_"Maybe we can find another newbie?" the indigo-haired inkling suggested. "There has to be one somewhere in the tower..."_

_"Yeah!" Yuri agreed. "C'mon, let's go!"_

_They ran towards the tower, the doors sliding open. To Yuri's surprise, it was bigger on the inside. Green patterns flashed around the walls, complete with some elevators lined up against the far end of the building. The three major modes—turf war, ranked battles, and squad battles—were marked with giant signs depicting their respective logos. Screens below the signs showed the stages for each mode, just as it done outside. A fourth sign, depicting the logo for private battles, was located to the left of the turf war sign, though there were no screens displaying the stages available._

_"Wow..." the yellow-haired boy muttered. "It's huge!"_

_"Yeah..." Bonnie agreed, eyes wide with wonder._

_Roy scanned the area. "I can't see anyone," he remarked. "This is gonna take a while..."_

_"Yeah-" Inigo's voice cut off when he perked up, looking over towards something...or someone. Yuri looked over at where he was looking. A long-haired inkling a few years older than them exited the ranked battle lobby, a Carbon Roller thrown over her shoulder. Her current ink color was lime green, but her eyes were indigo, not to dissimilar to Inigo's own indigo eyes._

_"Ophelia!" Inigo called, waving a hand. "Over here!"_

_"Ophelia?" Geneva asked, confused._

_"My sister," he responded, quieter. "I've told you about her, didn't I?"_

_"Oh,_ that's _your sister," she realized. "Y'know, I expected her hair to be tied back..."_

_Ophelia ran up to them, a big smile on her face. "Inigo! You're finally doing turf wars!"_

_"Yep," he confirmed. "We were all gonna battle together, but we need an eighth squid."_

_"I can be that eighth squid," she offered. "I'll get out my Splattershot Jr., too. Just for this match!"_

_"Perfect!" Yuri exclaimed. He pumped a fist. "Finally, our first turf war... I've been waiting forever for this moment!"_

_"Give me one second." Ophelia winked and ran off. A few moments later, she returned, holding a Splattershot Jr. Instead of a Carbon Roller. She still donned the same clothes as she did when she exited the elevator—a squid hairclip, a black layered LS, and squid-stitch slip-ons. "Ready!" She snickered. "I'm gonna crush you all!"_

_"Woah, take it easy!" Roy pled. "At least on us! We're newbies!"_

_She sighed, lowering her weapon. "Alright, alright. Can't promise that, though."_

_"No, promise that," he demanded, turning into a squid. "Tentacle promise?"_

_Ophelia simply stared down at him._

_"Do it," Inigo requested._

_She sighed and turned into a squid herself, wrapping a tentacle around Roy's. "Tentacle promise."_

_They transformed back, where Ophelia proceeded to lead them to an empty elevator. The elevator wasn't too big, but it was just the right size to fit eight inklings. As soon as they filtered inside, the door closed, and Yuri felt the weight of the elevator shift, causing them to descend. He tapped his foot, excited. It was almost time for their first turf war._

_The elevator suddenly stopped, much to everyone's surprise. Yuri felt something under him slide open, and soon, he found himself standing on some sort of grate. Ophelia turned into a squid and slipped through the grate, like she was some kind of liquid. Yuri and the others quickly followed, the metal briefly phasing through his body before he was set on a track to elsewhere._

_All of a sudden, he popped out of some kind of glowing platform, resting on the top in the form of a squid. Just what this was appeared in his mind—a spawn point. A few seconds later, he transformed back into a kid, holding a Splattershot Jr. He looked to see who his teammates were. Roy, Octavia, and Geneva. Which meant that the others were on the opposite team._

_He tried firing his Splattershot Jr. Some orange ink squirted from the barrel of the shooter, flying out a few feet in front of him. Smiling, he started walking and shooting at the same time, covering some turf on the metallic bridge. In the distance, he saw some towers that he could obviously not reach. Judging by the shape, he had an idea where he was._

_Saltspray Rig. They learned about it in school. It was the most prolific oil rig in Inkopolis. It was also conveniently a great spot for turf wars._

_The bridge dropped off into a series of skinny catwalks. He saw two ways up to the top. There were some elevators near the bottom, or he could take the long way. Yuri ultimately decided to take the elevators, walking over to them, inking his surroundings at the same time. However, soon, he found himself with an empty ink tank. He searched his brain for knowledge on what to do in this situation. He remembered watching some turf war matches, but he couldn't remember the specifics._

_Soon, he found his answer—hide in the ink. He took a few steps back and turned into a squid, dissolving into the orange ink. He remained there until he felt his ink tank fill up completely, and then he emerged from the ink, continuing to shoot the Splattershot Jr. and walk towards the elevator. At the elevator, he encountered a familiar face—Perry. His hair was colored blue now, and he was also shooting ink from his Splattershot Jr. When he noticed Yuri, he lowered his weapon and waved._

_"This is fun!" Yuri exclaimed, stepping in front of where the elevator would be. "Don't ya think?"_

_"Yeah." He looked down below, a nauseous look on his face. "I just wish we weren't in the middle of the ocean."_

_"There's other stages, though," he pointed out. "We won't be here all the time."_

_He gave a slight nod. "Mhm. I'm happy for that."_

_"Wait!" he suddenly remembered, pointing his shooter at Perry. The pale-skinned inkling threw his hands up, surprised. "This is a turf war, and we're on opposite teams! I should be splatting you!"_

_"U-Uh... Don't splat me!" he cried out. "Splat Inigo! Or his sister!"_

_"All's fair in love and turf war, Perry!" he declared. "Our battle starts, now!"_

_He gulped and pointed his Splattershot Jr. at him. "So be it. Let's go!"_

_The two boys ran towards each other, firing their shooters and yelling battle cries. Blue ink came in contact with Yuri's chest, and his battle cry soon turned into one of pain. Perry's features distorted into pain as well as orange ink hit him. The blue ink was soon overwhelming, and Yuri felt himself explode, popping into a mass of blue ink. His gear sunk into the ground, and he was now flying away in the form of a ghost. Perry had done the same, but instead he exploded into orange ink._

_Yuri's ghost entered the spawn point, and a few seconds later, he was once again in his kid form, like nothing had ever happened. There was no sign of damage whatsoever. ...Aside from a painful sting. But considering the healing properties of ink, he assumed it would quickly go away. He turned into a squid and swam through the ink, popping up occasionally to ink any walls that could be inked. He was right—the pain did go away as he submerged in the orange ink. Soon, it was like nothing had ever happened. He once again arrived at the elevator, covering any blue ink nearby with orange ink._

_At the top of the rig was Ophelia. She sat on a box, throwing a splat bomb up in the air and catching it._

_"Hey, Yuri," she greeted, winking. "That's your name, right?"_

_"Huh?" he puzzled. "How do you have a splat bomb?"_

_"It comes with the Splattershot Jr.," she explained. "Pull one out, and you'll see!"_

_He searched his pockets and felt something. Indeed, in his pockets was a splat bomb. Keeping one eye closed, he threw it towards Ophelia, causing her to scramble off the box. It started tipping off the box, unable to keep the balance. It fell where the older inkling had jumped off, and the bomb proceeded to explode, followed by Ophelia's scream. A blue ghost flew from where the bomb landed, signifying his success._

_"Booyah!" he cheered. "Another one for me!"_

_Octavia soon joined him, surprised. "What? You splatted someone?"_

_"Yep!" he confirmed. "And I splatted the oldest one here! Ophelia!"_

_"Oh my cod, that's good!" she enthused. "You're a master already!"_

_"I know, right!" he agreed. "If we keeping inking this thing, we'll win for sure!"_

_"Mhm," she agreed. "Let's paint the rig orange!"_

_The two inklings proceeded to fire their Splattershot Jrs., making sure to cover every single spot with orange ink. Yuri's head was low, focusing on the ground, while Octavia's was raised high as she focused on the walls and crates. She climbed up one tower of crates, inking the very top of it._

_"I feel like I'm on top of the world!" she declared, throwing out a victory sign._

_"You should try throwing out a bomb!" Yuri called up to her. "Ophelia taught me how! You just reach into your pockets and bam, bomb!"_

_Octavia followed his instructions, and soon enough, a splat bomb was in her hands. She threw one down, landing behind Yuri. It exploded behind him, though it had little effect._

_"Bad choice, Via," he heard Inigo's voice say. He turned around to find the fair-skinned boy, his weapon held out in front of him. Blue ink surrounded him. "I'm gonna get you!"_

_"Not if I get you first!" Yuri announced, running towards him._

_"Bubbler!" Inigo exclaimed with a smirk, and before any ink could get on him, his hair flashed blue, and he suddenly became covered in a blue, translucent barrier. Yuri smacked into him, stumbling and falling to his feet._

_"Wha?!" he blurted. "How'd ya do that?"_

_"It's my special weapon," he explained, twirling his weapon in his hand. "You can't hit me as long as I have this."_

_Yuri snickered. "I'll find a way." He jumped back up and ran back a few steps. "A Bubbler's not gonna stop me!"_

_In that moment, the dark-skinned inkling felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his body. His own hair flashed orange, and in an instant, his surroundings became tinted orange. Gasping, Inigo started backing up before changing into a full-blown escape. He turned into a squid, splashing through the blue ink, allowing Yuri to track him. Inigo's Bubbler broke, just as he reached some orange ink. Panicking, he started covering the area around him, though his efforts came to naught—Yuri reached him and fired his Splattershot Jr., splatting him in a few swift hits._

_"Booyah! I've splatted three!" he exclaimed once more. However, he then heard someone approaching him. "Huh-" His words were cut off when ink hit his arm and side, causing him to recoil backwards. He turned to face his attacker. Ophelia. He didn't have time to react, as she dashed towards him and splatted him in a few more hits._

_As he floated back to the spawn point, he saw Ophelia laughing. "Always keep an eye on your surroundings!" she sassed. "Don't know when someone will sneak up on you and splat you!"_

_He respawned, his confidence deflated._ So mean... _He took a different route this time, turning left at an intersection and dropping off to the lowest part of the map, a metal platform with some crates in the middle of it. However, he also happened to land right into blue ink. He lifted his foot, the sticky liquid dripping off of it. He shot ink as his feet, replacing the enemy ink with ink he could actually walk through. He continued inking the area without any further incident. He looked around, Ophelia's advice in mind. No one seemed to be around. He continued up the bridge, towards the elevators._

_However, as he got to the elevators, someone dropped down on him, hitting his head and stunning him for a few seconds. "Ow..." He rubbed where he had been hit, gathering his bearings. Next to him was Bonnie, eyes wide._

_"Oh my cod!" she immediately explained, bowing and holding her hands out in front of her. "I'm so sorry for hitting you, Yuri! Please forgive me!"_

_"Bon-Bon, it's fine," he assured her, patting her head. She stood up straight, a small frown on her face. "I bet things like this happen all the time in a turf war."_

_She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "You think so?"_

_He nodded. "Yeah."_

_She smiled. "Thanks, Yuri." She turned around, shooting ink at the bridge where the dark-skinned inkling had come from. "I'm gonna keep inking things. Bye."_

_"Bye." The beige-skinned girl walked away, doing exactly as she described. When the elevator to the top of the stage arrived once more, Yuri hopped on it, hiding in the ink to refill his ink tank. He hopped off it and remained in the orange ink for a few more seconds, now fully recovered. He emerged and started inking the area once more._

_Once again, he was caught off guard, splatting before he reached the area farthest from the spawn point. His suspicions were correct on who splatted him—Ophelia. She was once again laughing, leaning back against the box he had first found her one. As he floated away, he spotted Octavia, still on the top of the tower of crates, throwing bombs down on the people below her._

_Yuri decided to attempt to make his way over to Octavia this time. He swam through the ink to get a head start, soon approaching the top of the stage once more. Geneva had arrived with him. Ophelia emerged from behind the box, spinning her weapon around once more. Her hair was glowing blue, much like Inigo's had done when he first encountered him._

_"C'mon, Ophelia," Geneva groaned, scowling at her. "You made a tentacle promise to go easy on us. A tentacle promise!"_

_"I am going easy," she defended. "Guess I'm not going easy enough if you're saying that."_

_"Yeah, you caught me off guard! Twice!" Yuri commented in protest. "At least don't ambush us!"_

_She shrugged. "Guess it's a force of habit. I'm used to ambushing squids."_

_"At least try to stop for this game," Geneva requested._

_"Alright, alright," she groaned. "I'll stop. I'll just, ink turf I guess." She walked past the two younger inklings, leaving them alone once again. They looked at each other and nodded. They started inking the area, covering it with orange ink. They soon encountered Octavia, who let out a sigh of relief at their arrival. She jumped down to their level._

_"You're finally back!" she exclaimed. "I thought I was gonna be there forever!"_

_"...You could've left at any time, y'know," Geneva pointed out._

_"I know," she acknowledged. "But it was scary without a friend. I kept throwing bombs, and I splatted anyone who came up here. All by myself!"_

_"At least you managed to hold off the others," Yuri comforted her. "That's pretty rad, isn't it?"_

_She looked up at the dark-skinned inkling with orange eyes and gave a nod. "Thanks." She started walking up the ramp. "Finally, I can ink the rest of the map, and we can win!"_

_"That's the spirit!" he cheered. "C'mon, Geneva! Let's go!"_

_They continued inking Saltspray Rig. With the three of them together, they were able to splat anyone thrown at them. Geneva tripped and fell into the water, causing Octavia to laugh. However, they were joined by Roy, who activated Bubbler. A protective barrier covered not only himself, but the other two inklings present as well. Yuri's eyes grew wide with wonder, and he started running ahead, only for the Bubbler to deactivate as soon as he was far enough away from Roy. He pouted and started running back, only to find that Roy's Bubbler had deactivated as well. A bomb dropped down on them, causing them to scatter. All three of them splatted._

_They all respawned, dazed. However, it didn't matter, as a whistle blew, signifying the end of the match. The rush of battle fading away, Yuri scanned the map. It appeared that his team had one, but at the same time, it was extremely close._

_"That...was epic," Roy breathed. He turned to the group and donned a toothy smile. "I can't wait to do more!"_

_"Same!" Octavia agreed, pumping a fist. "This was the best day of my life!"_

_The three inklings continued to talk about the battle when a black-and-white creature suddenly jumped in front of them. They stopped, turning to look at it. Small, pointed ears, a plump body, and a tail, ending in an arrow._

_There was only one person this creature could possibly be—Judd the cat. His large, yellow eyes stared up at them before turning to scan the stage. He started dancing, piquing Yuri's curiosity. He leaned closer, eager to see was Judd would do. He struck out an orange flag._

_"Huh?" Roy blinked. "Did we win?"_

_"Heck yeah we did!" Via exclaimed. "Whatever color flag Judd throws out is the winner of the match!"_

_"C'mon, Roy, thought you knew this," Yuri teased, patting him on the back._

_"I sure did!" he defended, flustered. "I just forgot, OK?"_

_"Sure you did," the bronze-skinned inkling deadpanned._

_They noticed streaks of blue ink, flying through the sky. "We should probably get back," Yuri suggested. "...Looks like we have to super-jump? Is that right?"_

_"Looks right." Roy turned into a squid, preparing to soar through the air. "Let's go." He super-jumped, and Octavia and Yuri then did the same. They returned to Inkopolis Tower, where they could see their statistics. Of course, Ophelia had splatted the most people._

_"We did great," Inigo remarked. "Great job, Rainbow Squids." He looked over at his sister. "...And Ophelia."_

_"Hey!" she complained._

_"'Rainbow Squids?'" Bonnie puzzled. "What do you mean?"_

_"Oh, uh... It was a thing I came up with," he explained. "You see, because our ink colors follow the rainbow."_

_"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple," Octavia listed. "...Hey, you're right!"_

_"Funny our names line up with the colors, too," Perry remarked._

_"Then from this day forth..." Inigo held out his hand, palm facing the floor. "We are the Rainbow Squids."_

_"Rainbow Squids..." Geneva repeated. "I like that name." She placed her hand on top of Inigo's._

_"Agree!" Yuri chirped, placing his hand of Geneva's._

_Everyone else put their hands on top of each other, barring Ophelia, and then Inigo began to count down. "One, two, three..."_

_"Rainbow Squids!"_

_Everyone threw their hand up in the air and started changing forms rapidly in celebration. Ophelia simply chuckled, closing her eyes with a smile._

_"Fourteen-year-olds... Wish I could experience my first turf war again."_

_The Rainbow Squids continued partying. Now that they had a name for themselves, they were one step closer to becoming masters at turf war._

* * *

_The next day..._

_The group of inklings left Inkopolis Tower, pumped after their latest battle. They eagerly talked among themselves about the results of the match._

_"Dude, did you see my little trick with the Splattershot there?" Roy enthused. "I activated Burst Bomb Rush, and_ bam bam bam _! I splatted two people!"_

_"I know, that was really good!" Octavia agreed. "Like, super-duper good!"_

_"Imagine if you mastered that," Perry remarked. "You'll be the freshest squid on the block."_

_"I know, right?" the red-haired inkling gloated. "Everyone will be jealous!"_

_As they stepped into the large clearing, they suddenly heard the intro to Inkopolis News, directing their attention to the large screen plastered on the side of one building. Soon enough, the cheery voice of the black-haired idol reached their ears._

_"Hold on to your tentacles..." Callie started._

_"It's Inkopolis News time!" Marie finished._

_A transition played, and then the first idol was exclaiming, "News flash! News flash!"_

_"What is it? What is it?!" the second idol demanded, her voice getting more excited._

_Callie's tone then turned into shock. "Inkopolis's Great Zapfish has...vanished!"_

_"Wait, seriously?" Marie gasped._

_"What?!" Roy gasped as well._

_"No way!" Perry marveled._

_"So that's why it wasn't there yesterday," Bonnie mused._

_"If it isn't recovered soon, are we gonna lose power?" the black-haired idol asked her cousin, echoing Yuri's thoughts._

_"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine...probably," the grey-haired idol assured her._

_"I wonder if it has anything to do with that UFO crash!" Callie then theorized, the image changing to one of a low-resolution picture of some kind of object._

_"Sounds likely to me!" Marie agreed._

_"Well, that's all for now!" the first idol chirped, regaining her previous cheerfulness. "Until next time..."_

_"Stay fresh!" the two of them exclaimed, doing their signature pose. The newscast ended, and the group of inklings looked at each other, surprised and worried._

_Perry was the first to speak up. "Guys! This could be bad!" he panicked, shaking his head. "If Inkopolis loses power, then we're doomed!"_

_"I know, I know, I know!" Bonnie cried, tears pricking her eyes. She hid behind Octavia, cowering._

_"But didn't Marie say we'll probably be fine?" Yuri comforted them. "If Marie says so, then we have nothing to worry about!"_

_"That's what you say..." the blue-haired inkling whined. "...I want my glasses."_

_"I just hope it comes back soon," Octavia muttered, clasping her hands together. "The fact that it's gone...I can't bear to think of it."_

_"I'm worried too, but... Maybe we can take our minds off it for now?" Inigo suggested, placing a hand on his chin. "Like Yuri said, Marie said that we'll be fine."_

_"Yeah," Roy agreed. "It just makes me mad thinking 'bout it!"_

_"Guess I'll go with it," Geneva complied._

_"Great!" Yuri exclaimed. "Let's go!"_

_As they walked back towards Inkopolis Tower, Geneva suddenly stopped. Yuri turned around to see why. She appeared to be staring at something, but when he looked in her direction, there was nothing of note there. Other than Judd, who was sleeping on top of a crate._

_"Huh? Geneva?" Octavia puzzled. "Why'd ya stop?"_

_"Oh, I...uh...just remembered," she answered, scratching the back of her head. "I promised my brother I'd go play...tennis with him. Yeah, tennis."_

_"Aw, you gotta go?" Perry asked with a frown._

_"Yeah," she sighed. She immediately perked up and remarked, "We can play together tomorrow, though!"_

_"Yay!" he cheered._

_"Well, see ya." The green-haired inkling waved and walked out of sight, where the Rainbow Squids proceeded to turn back around and enter Inkopolis Tower once more._

* * *

_July 18th, 2015_

_Come the second Splatfest, the Rainbow Squids were hyped. The theme was Roller Coasters vs. Water Slides—odd, but it was still fitting. It was the middle of summer, after all. However, not everyone seemed hyped. Geneva, in fact, seemed...unusually worried._

_"What's with that look on your face?" Octavia asked, looking over at her friend._

_"Huh?" She looked over at Via, immediately putting on a stoic face. "Oh, nothing..."_

_"Is it about the Great Zapfish?" Perry asked. "Please tell me it's about the Great Zapfish."_

_"Well, uh... You can say that," she replied. "Just some stuff happened earlier."_

_"Like what?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"I don't wanna talk about it," the fair-skinned girl muttered, looking down at the ground._

_"I see," Inigo commented. "No reason to pry, then."_

* * *

_August 15th, 2015_

_Unable to sleep in the middle of the night, Yuri walked into Inkopolis Plaza when he heard some commotion in front of the Inkopolis Tower. One look at it told him all he needed to know—the Great Zapfish had returned._

_He pushed through the crowd, trying to find his friends. He found them near the front row, focused on not the Great Zapfish, but something else._

_"Hey," he whispered to Perry, sliding in next to him. "What's going on?"_

_"One, the Great Zapfish came back," he explained._

_"Yeah, I know that," he interjected._

_"Two, there's a superfresh girl that just popped up," he finished. The purple-haired inkling pointed at the focus of the crowd—a green-haired inkling girl wearing strange, reflective clothing, looking up at the Great Zapfish as well. She looked over at the crowd, gasped, and ran off. Some inklings lowered their phones, evidence that they had taken pictures of this strange girl._

_Yuri looked around. "Where's Geneva?" he then asked them._

_"Dunno," Roy replied. "Probably sleeping. She might not of got the memo."_

_The intro to Inkopolis News chimed, directing everyone's attention to the jumbotron. Of course, they announced the return of the Great Zapfish, though it appeared that its whereabouts would forever be a mystery. They ended the broadcast by playing Maritime Memory, a slow-placed song that combined both City of Color and Calamari Inkantation._

_"Can we battle?" Yuri requested of them. "I can't sleep."_

_"I need to sleep," Octavia rejected with a yawn. "I only came here because of Bonnie's text."_

_"Me too," Perry added. He yawned, and continued, "Geez, Via's makin' me sleepy."_

_"Ah..." Yuri muttered with a frown. "I see."_

_Well, nonetheless, at least the Great Zapfish was back now._

* * *

_Present Day_

In the Reef, Yuri was playing cards with a few of his friends inside of a café, the sound of an intense ranked battle raging outside. A classical song was playing—it wasn't his favorite genre, but it did have the potential to create some of the most beautiful music in existence. He examined his cards and stared over at Yvonne, who sat at the opposite end of the table.

"You have a five?" he asked her.

"No," she replied. "Go fish."

"Dang." He took a card from the pile, only for it to be exactly what he needed. Making a group of four cards, he took it out of his hand and placed it down in front of him.

"K, my turn," Perry announced, shuffling his position on his seat. "Iris," he started, looking over at the indigo-haired octoling. "You have any kings?"

She grumbled a pulled out a card from her hand. "Go fish."

"Booyah," he whispered. He then looked at Yuri. "Do _you_ have a king?"

"Nope," he responded. "Go fish."

"Dang." He picked up a card from a pile.

As the four continued to play the card game, the bell at the door rung as someone entered the café. Yuri looked over to see who the newcomer was. It was none other than Geneva herself. Her hair was a deep purple, a sign that she had recently come out of a match. There was some dirt on her shirt, but other than that, she appeared to be fine.

"Hey, Geneva!" Perry greeted. "What brings you here?"

"I was just battling out there," she explained, walking over to their table. "But instead of going back, I decided to come here."

"Why?" Iris asked, scowling.

"I saw you guys, so I was wondering what you were doing," she replied. "It's...pretty simple."

"No, it not," the fair-skinned octoling hissed. "You have 'ulterior motive,' right?"

"Iris..." Yvonne groaned. "What if she try to be the friends?"

"Yeah, I seriously don't get why you get mad at me or run away every time you see me," Geneva confirmed.

"You should know," Iris snapped.

The long-haired inkling was only more confused. "I seriously don't. I mean, I have an idea why..." She paused, putting her hand on her chin and shaking her head. "No, that doesn't make sense."

"What are you meaning?!" she cried out.

"Yo, Iris, calm," Perry warned her. "It's a café."

"Fine, fine," the octoling said, biting her lip. "I be the calm." She looked back at her cards. "A three?" she asked, looking at Perry.

"A three? Yeah, here." He pulled a card out of his hand and handed it to Iris.

She took the card and pulled three other cards out of her deck, laying them out in front of her. "Three... I no do have to look at the threes again."

"Is there a reason why she hates threes?" Geneva asked Yuri and Perry.

"Iris hates Agent 3," Perry replied. "That's why."

" _Oh._ " The fair-skinned inkling straightened, mortified. "I'm...gonna go now." Before the two boys could say their goodbyes, she was already halfway out the door. "Bye!"

"Geneva!" Yuri called. He sighed, looking back at the group. "You know, I was actually thinking about Agent 3 just a little while ago."

"What about Agent 3?" Yvonne inquired.

"Well, when the Great Zapfish came back the first time, there was a girl," he started. "Wearing black clothing and a neon vest... Just like Agent 3."

"Oh yeah, you might be right," Perry commented. "She even had green hair, like Agent 3. Who would've thought?"

Iris growled and demanded, "Get back to the game."

"Oh, right!" Yuri looked at his cards, and the card game continued on.

Why did Geneva leave? He wasn't sure. But perhaps some questions were best left unanswered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of another 7,000-word chapter. Can you believe that there's only four chapters left in Season 3? So much stuff has happened in this season, it seems unreal. Which means, if everything goes accordingly, the season finale of season 3 will be February 28th. Only one month left! Woo! I'm excited for the finale, especially since it's intended to be one of those "nothing is the same anymore" chapters. Perhaps not for the readers, since you can probably guess a few things yet to be said in the story, but it will be for our good friends the Rainbow Squids. "But wait, their perception of the world was already shaken by 'Fly Octo Fly/Into the Light!'" Yes, but this is going to shake it up some more. Enough of the finale talk, the next chapter's going to be another fun one. See you then.


	84. Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Squidbeak Splatoon go on a beach trip, with the Vigilante and Elyse tagging along.

_Alexis's PoV_

Agent 4 leaned against the railing of Arowana Mall, watching as Agent 3 and the Vigilante battled it out in broad daylight. Green and indigo ink flew between them, with each inkling equally likely to win. Around her stood the other agents, all cheering Agent 3 on. Agent 8 especially.

"Go!" Eight called, waving a flag with a green squid on it. "Win, win!"

In the middle of the map, the Vigilante proceeded to slam his roller down on Three, splatting her, and he looked up at the group, scowling. "And none of you are cheering for me," he growled, voice edged with bitterness.

"Why would we?" Agent 2 questioned, bringing a hand up towards her mouth. Even though she was wearing a mask, Four could just imagine her doing her signature smirk. "We don't really know you."

Instead of snapping back, the Vigilante frowned. "I see." He returned his attention to the match, grabbing the clams Agent 3 had dropped to form a power clam. He crossed the grate bridge and arrived at the clam basket, where he launched the ball at it. Indigo ink swirled around it as it collided with the barrier, and soon, it broke. He grabbed a few clams that had spawned near the sponge and started throwing them in. Before he could throw the last one in, Three arrived once more and splatted him in a few shots. The basket raised once more, dropping a green power clam at its base.

"The Vigilante's in the lead," Marie remarked.

"But Three's strong," Callie pointed out. "She can beat him! I know she can!"

"She lost to him before," the grey-haired inkling argued. "He's strong in his own right."

"If they've fought before," the black-haired inkling started, "then the Vigilante knows Three's tricks, and Three knows the Vigilante's tricks." She gave a quick nod. "It's a battle of wits!"

Agent 3 had taken the power clam, advancing over to her opponent's side of the stage. She did not cross the grate bridge, instead opting to go over and down the slope, and up another one, to reach the basket. She tossed the power clam in, only for a roller to immediately slam down on her, splatting her.

However, what was important was that Agent 3 was in the lead now. By one point.

"There's only fifteen seconds left!" Callie notified.

"Go go go!" Agent 4 cheered.

"If Three splats Vigilante before he put in power clam, she does winning," Agent 8 observed. "Good!"

"Let's hope she respawns in time, then," Marie commented.

"She should," Callie added. "Just a race against time now!"

Once the basket on the Vigilante's side of the map retreated, it dropped an indigo power clam at its feet. He grabbed it and started rolling over to the other side of Arowana Mall.

"Ten! Nine!" Callie started to count down. Agent 3 had respawned by now, and she started making her way over to her own clam basket.

"Eight! Seven!" Agent 8 continued. The two inklings were approaching closer and closer to their destinations.

"Six! Five!" called Marie. Hearing the countdown, the Vigilante started to opt for vertical swings instead. By this point, he had made it to the grate bridge. Agent 3, however, had not made it to the clam basket yet.

"Four! Three!" Agent 4 exclaimed. The Vigilante raised his hand, angling the direction of which he would throw his power clam in. Agent 3 arrived at the top of the wall, looking down on the boy with the ponytail with narrowed eyes.

"Two! One!" Callie finished. Taking a few steps forward, he threw the ball. Agent 3 dropped down on him and splatted him with a combination of a burst bomb and her Splattershot. Unfortunately, the tip of the power clam rammed straight into the barrier, spinning around as it attempted to break it. The basket burst, allowing the Vigilante to take the lead and ending the game.

"Game!" Eight called. She opened her eyes and looked over at Agent 3. "Wait! No!"

Alexis blinked. "Three...lost." She could hardly believe her eyes. Agent 3, one of the strongest squids she knew, lost to the Vigilante—Inigo, who could barely keep himself in S+0.

"She did," Marie stated bluntly.

"Well, you can't win them all," Callie comforted them.

The Vigilante proceeded to super-jump over to Agent 3 after he respawned, resting his chin on the handle of his roller. "I won," he announced.

"Yeah," she said. "I know."

"You know what that means now?" he snickered. Alexis raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

"You're...coming to the beach party with us," she replied, defeated.

"What?!" the short-haired inkling gasped. The two inklings on the stage looked up at her. "No way!"

Marie shrugged. "A bet's a bet. Nothing we can do about it."

"Hope you have a swimsuit," Callie commented, still as jovial as ever.

"Don't worry," the Vigilante assured her, pushing his tinted shades up the bridge of his nose. "I made sure to bring a pair."

"Guess we gotta get Gramps now," the grey-haired inkling announced. "Who's gonna stay with this squid?" she then asked, pointing to the boy with the ponytail.

"Um..." Eight started fiddling with her fingers. "I can."

"You don't have to," Three interjected. "I can stay."

"What about me?" Four suggested. "I'm good at keeping watch!" _And I don't want to separate you and Eight,_ she thought to herself. From spending time with Agents 3 and 8 separately, she learned that they have a crush on each other. Though, they seem to be too oblivious to notice that the other likes them back.

"Oh, that is a good idea," the long-haired inkling agreed immediately. "C'mon, let's get back." She turned into a green squid, immediately super-jumping into the sky, back towards the tower. Eight was quick to follow, a pink trail of ink soaring through the sky. The remaining inklings super-jumped after them, and now, they were back in the tower. They left the private battle lobby and stepped into the main lobby.

"Keep an eye on the Vigilante," Marie whispered to Four. "We'll be right back."

Alexis nodded. "I won't let you down!"

The grey-haired inkling nodded, and her, Callie, Agent 3, and Agent 8 walked out of the Deca Tower, leaving Agent 4 alone with the Vigilante. She followed him to the changing rooms, where he entered it. She leaned up against the wall, facing the door, as she waited for him to come out. He came out a few seconds later, wearing indigo swimming trunks, an aloha shirt, wooden sandals, and of course, his signature tinted shades. He had changed his ink color to red as well, reflected in the color of the shades.

"What do you think?" he asked, posing.

"It's...OK," she remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"OK?!" he gasped, throwing his hands down. "Looks like my charm doesn't work on you."

"Yeah, it never has," she deadpanned.

The Vigilante scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess you already know who I am." He paused, lowering his hand. "Wait, do you go to my school?"

"Wha- Where did ya get that from?!"

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"I never implied that!"

"You're arguing against it, so that has to be the case."

"I- _Ugh._ " She shook her head. "Forget this ever happened."

"Alright, alright." He leaned against the wall as well, opposite from Agent 4. Alexis deduced that she might as well believe that he wouldn't tell anyone—it wasn't in his nature to go back on his word. Then again, it wasn't in his nature to become the Vigilante, either. She still wondered, just what had changed when he decided to become his infamous persona? She might never know.

Some more time passed, and Alexis's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out to see that she had gotten a new text message. She opened it up to see Octavia asking her if she was going to the beach with the rest of the Rainbow Squids. The whole situation was a coincidence—somehow, the Rainbow Squids had scheduled a beach trip the same day the New Squidbeak Splatoon planned their beach party. There were few beaches in Inkopolis, the most popular being in Inkopolis Bay. And she knew that was where both groups were going today.

She replied no, using the excuse that she doing league battles with her friends. She put her phone away and sighed. The rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon should have come back by now. What was taking them so long?

"We're back," she heard Three's voice announce.

She turned around to examine the group. Indeed, Cap'n Cuttlefish was now with them, wearing a ragged shirt and swimming trunks, alongside his signature hat. However, another person was with the New Squidbeak Splatoon, standing next to Agent 8.

...Elyse.

After they arrived back in Inkopolis from the camping trip, they headed to Octo Canyon, where the Squid Sisters proceeded to imprison Elyse in a snow globe, much like DJ Octavio. They learned from Marina the possible cause of her resistance to Calamari Inkantation—the hypnoshades she wore. Thus, the hypnoshades were removed from her, and Callie and Marie proceeded to perform Calamari Inkantation. Though she now no longer wanted to attack them, Cap'n Cuttlefish still kept her imprisoned for 'observation.' Apparently, he had changed his mind.

"Hello," she greeted. "I go...to you."

Alexis examined her outfit. "Do you need something?" She was wearing the octoling armor that all enemy octolings wore, though obviously she lacked the hypnoshades, which revealed her blue eyes. She creeped her out somewhat. She had a habit of staring at people, watching what they do. She rarely spoke, if at all. Eight brushed it off, saying that she needed time to adjust to the fact that she was freed from the Octarian oppression. But Four suspected that there was another reason for her behavior.

"Beach suit," Elyse replied. "New suit."

"...A bathing suit?" she questioned. "I mean, we can't swim, so you don't need one. Just new clothes."

"Yes!" The tan-skinned octoling grabbed the bronze-skinned inkling's hand and shook it. "That!"

"She's pretty small," Agent 3 remarked. "I bet your clothes could fit her, Four."

"You...want me to give her my clothes?" Agent 4 puzzled. "Can't I buy some for her? I have money!"

"We don't have time," Marie rejected. "It's almost noon, and we want to be there as long as possible."

"Oh, fine..." she grumbled. Alexis walked into the changing room, examining the clothes she had. She pulled out some of her starting gear—a white headband and a basic tee. She grabbed some wooden sandals Octavia had given her too. She opened the door and tossed them to Elyse. "Put these on."

"OK." Elyse opened the door to another changing room and entered it. Callie then handed Four an orange bag containing a swimming suit. The short-haired girl walked back into the changing room, changing into the bikini. She put a firewave tee and sports shorts over it before finally putting on black flip-flops. To complete her look, she put on some double egg shades over her eyes. She walked out of the changing room, the orange bag slung over her shoulder.

Cap'n Cuttlefish and the Vigilante were the only ones outside, indicating to Four that everyone else was still changing. Not long after she had exited the changing room, Elyse walked out, wearing the gear Alexis had given her. Eight appeared next, wearing a hula punk shirt and shorts over her bathing suit. She wore neon delta straps as well. She was followed by Three, wearing a navy King tank and a large sun hat, complete with sunglasses. She also wore wooden sandals.

Coincidentally, Callie and Marie came out of their changing rooms at the same time. The former once again wore sunglasses to obscure her identity, but over her bathing suit, she wore a simple white shirt and sports shorts. She also wore a baseball cap and black flip-flops. Marie, on the other hand, had decided on her outfit lazily, simply putting on an oversized white t-shirt and black flip-flops. Of course, she needed a way to obscure her identity, putting on sunglasses and a sun hat.

"Are we ready?" Cap'n Cuttlefish asked. Everyone nodded. The old inkling waved his cane in the air and declared, "New Squidbeak Splatoon and others, let's go!"

* * *

The group arrived at Inkopolis Bay, the mantis shrimp Alexis encountered on her first visit here giving each of them a golden pin. After they put the pin on their shirts, they exited the train station, entering the main plaza. They walked past the shops, going right and walking down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs was an inkling, holding some wristbands. She examined the pins each of them wore and proceeded to wrap a color-changing band around each of their wrists. She stepped out of the way after putting on the last wristband, allowing the group to past.

"Woo!" Alexis cheered, jumping onto the sand. "We're here!" She pumped a fist and spun around. "Finally, we can have that beach party!"

"I brought a stereo!" Callie announced. She started running down the beach, kicking up the golden sand. "C'mon, let's go! We gotta find a place to set up!"

"Wait for me!" Cap'n Cuttlefish called. "These cuttlebones aren't as a good as they used to be!"

They eventually arrived at a spot near the ocean, though not too close that one of them would accidentally drown if the tide rose. The smell of salt in the air, Alexis looked out at the ocean. It was as beautiful as she remembered. The waves crashed gently against the shore, some jellyfish playing in the sea. A toddler-aged inkling started waddling over to the shore, only for their parent to pull them back before they could fall in and dissolve. On both sides of her, citizens, no matter what species they were, relaxed on the shore, doing a variety of activities.

The day was sure to be promising.

She took off her shirt and shorts, revealing the bikini she was wearing. Callie, Marie, and Agent 3 took off their shirts as well, also revealing bikinis. Each of their swimming suits coordinated with their ink color—Callie had a hot pink bikini, Marie had a lime green bikini, and Agent 3 just had a green bikini. Agent 8 had a different swimming suit, hers being a one-piece that was colored black.

The Vigilante took off his shirt, posing once more. "What do you think, Elyse?" he asked the blue-haired octoling. "I'm hot, right? These abs are rock solid, trust me."

Elyse examined him and shook her head. "You no have...'abs.'"

"Shoot," he muttered.

Suddenly, a volleyball landed in Cap'n Cuttlefish's lap, surprising him. "Begone!" He hit the ball with his cane, sending it flying once more. It landed in the water, hitting a jellyfish in the head and knocking them over. Their legs flailed in the air briefly before the inflatable tube they were in turned around to reposition them.

"Dang it!" someone called. Much to Alexis's surprise, Roy, wearing only swimming trunks, ran in front of her, looking around. "It's in the water!"

"Huh?" Eight muttered, looking over at the red-haired inkling. "You here, too?"

Hearing the octoling's voice, he looked over his shoulder before turning around completely. "Well, I didn't expect you, either." He looked past Eight, over at the inkling boy. "And certainly not the Vigilante to be with you..." He paused to count the members of the group. "...six."

"We brought Elyse, too," Agent 3 added. "So, seven."

"Elyse...?" He looked over at the Vigilante once more. "Oh, her."

"Roy!" an even more familiar voice then called. Alexis turned her head to see Octavia, walking up to the red-haired inkling. She wore the same swimming suit as her—an orange bikini, though in a bigger size. "What's going..." She stopped, looking at the New Squidbeak Splatoon "...on."

"What?" another voice started. Giovanni then appeared, just wearing green swimming trunks. "What is taking you long?" Upon noticing Agent 3, he jumped. "Woah! You are here, too!"

"Giovanni?" the green-haired inkling puzzled. "Is something going on?"

"Huh?" Elyse looked over at the newcomers, and upon seeing the fair-skinned octoling, she blushed. "Woah." She walked over to Gio and grabbed his hand, much to his surprise, proceeding to speak in rapid-fire Octarian.

"Uh..." Gio pulled his hand out of Elyse's and spoke in a blunt tone, once again in Octarian. The blue-haired girl frowned, defeated.

"What did they say?" Via then asked, looking over at Eight. "Love the swimsuit, by the way. It fits you perfectly."

"T-Thanks," Eight stuttered, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Oh, the question. Elyse say something...'You handsome. Marry me.' Giovanni say, 'I do not know you.'"

"They just met, and Elyse's already asking for marriage," Marie sneered. "Wow."

"Is that normal?" Callie asked.

"No," both Eight and Giovanni replied.

"I read story," Elyse pointed out. "Brave princess save boy. Propose, and they marry."

"That is a story," the green-haired octoling explained. "It is not reality." Elyse blinked. Sighing, he repeated what he said in Octarian.

"Would be nice though," the Vigilante commented as he stretched. "Meet someone and marry them immediately."

Roy groaned. "We gotta get back to the game."

"How can we play without a volleyball?" Octavia argued. "It literally went into the water!" As she said that, a jellyfish poked the red-haired inkling's leg, holding up the wet volleyball. "...Never mind."

"Finally!" Gio proclaimed. "Now Octa Prisma can defeat you not only in turf war, but in volleyball as well!"

Roy dried the ball with one of the towels near him and held it under his shoulder. "Let's go."

"Can we play?" Alexis then asked them. "I haven't played volleyball in forever!"

"I wanna play, too," Agent 3 agreed.

"I will come, also!" Eight proclaimed.

"So will I," the Vigilante added. "Maybe Octa Prisma will fall to my charm."

"'Volleyball?'" Elyse puzzled, tilting her head. Her long braid now brushed the sand. "That for kids."

"Not here," the boy with the ponytail countered. "Squids of all ages play volleyball."

"Yeah, Inkopolis has its own profreshional volleyball team, too," Octavia agreed. "Why don't you play? It'll be fun!"

"We'll show you what Inkopolis is really all about," Three concluded. "Fun."

"'Fun,'" the blue-haired octoling repeated. "...Alright."

"Yes!" Agent 4 exclaimed, pumping a fist. "Let's go!"

The group walked over to the area next to them, which had been set up into a makeshift volleyball court. The remaining members of the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma were present, all on standby. A net separated the two teams. Brayden was the only person not playing—he sat in a beach chair, fruit punch in his hand. Around his neck was a lei of white flowers. Alexis guessed he was the referee.

"Hey," Brayden greeted. "You got the...ball." He examined the group, raising an eyebrow. "Another team?"

"Yep," Octavia confirmed. "The...New Squidbeak Splatoon team."

"You do realize that one of them is part of Octa Prisma, correct?" he pointed out.

"And I do not recall the Vigilante nor this new octoling being part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon," Giovanni jested.

"Hey, three out of five!" Four argued. "That counts, right?"

"Not really," the Vigilante sighed.

"We'll just call you...the B-Team then," Perry deduced, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Sounds good enough."

"Alright, then we will adjust accordingly," Brayden announced. "First, it will be the Rainbow Squids versus the B-Team."

"We no play?" Peyton asked, frowning.

"Unfortunately," Oscar confirmed.

Octa Prisma stepped off to the sidelines, while the B-Team took their place. The Rainbow Squids were facing opposite of them, getting into formation. Roy and Octavia were in the front, Yuri was in the middle, while Bonnie and Perry were in the back. Alexis was surprised to learn that Bonnie also wore a two-piece swimming suit, though it was not a straight-out bikini like the other girls. The top piece was akin to a halter top, wrapping around her neck.

The B-Team positioned themselves so that the Vigilante and Agent 3 were in the front, Agent 4 was in the middle, and Agent 8 and Elyse were in the back. Eight was the first one with the volleyball, serving it so that it flew over the net. The Rainbow Squids struggled to hit it, but it simply landed in the sand next to Bonnie, who flinched as soon as it neared her.

"One point to the B-Team!" Brayden announced.

"Aw man..." Perry groaned.

"Don't worry," Yuri comforted him. "The game just started!"

Eight got the ball again, though this time, she got a bad serve, the ball bouncing off of the net and landing in the sand. She tried again, only for it to fly to the side instead, hitting the stone wall and bouncing a few feet towards the court. As a result, the ball switched over to the Rainbow Squids' side. Perry was now the server, tossing the volleyball into the air and slamming it with the palm of his hand. It barely made it over the net, giving Three and the Vigilante little time to react to it. It ended up landing in the sand, in front of the two inklings.

"One point to the Rainbow Squids!" Brayden called.

"Booyah!" the purple-haired inkling cheered. "Time to go again!"

He served the ball once more, this time going farther. Agent 4 jumped up and hit the ball, sending it flying towards the other side.

"I'll get it!" Bonnie called, running towards the ball. She held up her hands and pressed up on the ball, but it was a bad hit, only going a few feet in the air.

"Lemme try!" Via declared, running up to the beige-skinned girl. She hit the ball, sending it back over the net. The Vigilante reached up and spiked the ball, causing it to plummet into the sand. The B-Team had gotten another point, as Brayden then declared not long after it landed.

Now that it was the B-Team's turn to serve, their positions shifted. Eight walked up to the front row, next to Three, while Four was sent back to the back row. The Vigilante now occupied the middle position, and Elyse was the one serving.

"It be years," she noted. "I sorry if bad."

She tried serving the ball, only to miss it entirely. She tried again, only to get a bad hit. As a result, the ball went back over to the Rainbow Squids, where Bonnie was the one serving. She also failed both attempts at serving. The ball went back to the B-Team, and the game continued on.

When the B-Team scored their tenth point, Brayden rose from his chair and announced, "Game!" He pulled out two flags—one pink and one green—and pointed the pink one towards the odd group of people. "The B-Team wins!"

"Booyah!" Agent 4 cheered. "We won!"

"'Booyah,'" Elyse muttered. "You say it a lot."

"Yeah," Agent 3 confirmed. "What about it?"

"Do not understand," the tan-skinned girl admitted, "why."

"It's just a fun thing you say," the Vigilante explained. "Like something good happened? You say booyah. That's all to it."

"Oh," she simply said. "...Booyah."

"Ya gotta say it with more spirit!" Alexis egged.

"...Booyah!" she exclaimed, louder.

"That is it!" Eight cheered. "Booyah!"

"Now, for the next match," Brayden started. "It is Octa Prisma versus the B-Team."

The Rainbow Squids walked off their side of the court and were replaced with Octa Prisma. Again, the positions they took were related to their color. Oscar and Yvonne stood in the front row, Giovanni stood in the middle row, and Iris and Peyton stood in the back row. Because the B-Team won the last round, Octa Prisma were serving first. Peyton threw the ball up in the air and hit it, the object now barreling towards the Vigilante. He ran back and hit the ball with the palms of his hand, sending the volleyball back over the net. Giovanni jumped up to the ball next, turning into an octopus and slamming himself into it. The ball was sent back over the net, and Alexis ran to hit it.

However, she miscalculated where it would go.

"Ow!" the Vigilante cried. The volleyball collided directly with his face, knocking his shades off. A little blood trickled from his nose. He knelt down, searching for the shades.

"Shoot," Giovanni cursed.

"Oh no!" Eight cried, running up to the boy with the ponytail. "Are you OK?!"

"Yes," he replied. He grabbed a hold of his shades and shook the sand off of them before putting them back on. He looked over at the curly-haired octoling, who winced. "I'm fine."

Alexis looked over at him and grimaced at the bloody nose. "No, you're not."

"Yeah, you need a doctor," Three agreed.

"What? It's not even that bad," he brushed it off.

"At least go to the bathroom," Octavia suggested.

"Fine, fine." The Vigilante walked off. The group waited. And waited. Thirty minutes passed, and he still had not returned. The group merely talked among themselves while they awaited his arrival, but, getting tired of waiting, Agent 4 decided to speak up.

"I don't think he's coming back," she proclaimed.

"Yeah..." Bonnie agreed.

"Maybe he did see doctor?" Oscar mused.

"If it hasn't stopped," Roy added.

"We should get another member if we wanna keep playing," Agent 3 pointed out. "Or just do the Rainbow Squids versus Octa Prisma again."

"Ask Agent 1 or Agent 2?" Eight suggested.

Agent 4 looked over at where the New Squidbeak Splatoon had set up. Callie and Marie were not present. Not even Cap'n Cuttlefish was there.

"Doesn't look like an option," she remarked.

"Wait, you hear?" Peyton spoke up, cupping a hand around her ear. "A song."

The group went silent, listening to their surroundings. Among seagulls and ocean waves, Alexis heard someone...singing. A high-pitched voice, singing a familiar, cheerful song. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Soon, she realized.

"Callie!" the short-haired inkling gasped. "It's coming from over there!" She pointed past the volleyball court.

"What are we waiting for?" Roy questioned. "Let's go!"

The group of inklings and octolings ran further down the beach, where the song got louder and louder. Soon, they found the black-haired idol, wearing the clothes she wore when they first arrived at the beach, sans the hat and sunglasses. A crowd gathered around the platform she stood on, waving glowsticks around. She just finished singing Bomb Rush Blush, and she was now moving on to another one of her solo songs. Alexis quickly spotted Marie and Cap'n Cuttlefish in the crowd and directed the group towards them.

"Hey," Agent 3 whispered to the grey-haired idol, "what's going on?"

"Oh, hey Three," she greeted. "Callie decided to hold a concert for some reason. I guess she was bored? I dunno."

"Well, now we can jam!" Yuri exclaimed, starting to dance to the song.

"Hey, Yuri," Perry spoke up. "Isn't that Asher over there?"

"What?" The yellow-haired boy stopped dancing. "Where?" He pointed to a green-haired inkling with a side cut, who stood towards the front of the crowd, tapping his foot to the rhythm. The other boy nodded. "Maybe," he deduced. "Let's go see."

The two inkling boys pushed through the crowd, making their way to the inkling that was supposedly Asher. They talked to him for a few moments before returning to the others, Asher following them. He still donned a disguise of some sort, wearing sunglasses. He also wore a t-shirt and khaki shorts, along with a shark tooth necklace. He was barefoot.

"Huh, you really are all here," he remarked. "Octa Prisma, too."

"Hey," Roy greeted. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, it's been a few months," Octavia added.

Asher scanned the group. "Where's Inigo?"

"Said he's busy," Perry replied. "Dunno with what."

"Oh yeah, the Vigilante was with us, too," Alexis spoke up. "He may or may not of broken his nose."

"It a nosebleed," Eight corrected.

"The _Vigilante?!_ " the man panicked. "Why was he with you?!"

"I lost a bet," Agent 3 explained. Asher scowled at her, causing her to respond with a shrug.

"Please tell me Tiffany isn't here, either," he added, placing his hands on the long-haired girl's shoulders.

"I don't know," she admitted, frowning. "I hope she isn't."

He sighed, lifting his hands. "Just...be careful."

"I will," Three promised. "Don't worry."

They continued to listen to the impromptu concert, and when Callie finished, she simply bowed and waved. "Thanks for coming!" she exclaimed. "Stay fresh!" She did her signature pose, garnering cheers from the crowd. She walked off the stage, behind the curtain. As everyone walked away from the stage, Asher said his goodbyes and walked down the beach. After the crowd dispersed, she walked back out into the open, wearing the hat and sunglasses she wore before.

"I knew my grandsquid would be great!" Cap'n Cuttlefish complimented. "Well done, bucko!"

"Thanks, Gramps," Callie stated. She examined the group with him. "You squids came, too?" she marveled, looking at the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma.

"Yeah," Roy confirmed. "I wouldn't pass up a chance to see my favorite Squid Sister sing."

"Really? In front of me?" Marie chastised.

"W-Well, you're great too," he then added.

"I love to hear the Squid Sisters sing," Gio remarked. "No matter who it is."

Eight turned to look at Elyse. "You have fun?" She gave a quick nod. "Good."

"Let's get back to the court," Brayden announced. "Perhaps the Vigilante is back as well."

They walked up the beach, towards the volleyball court. The beach had largely settled after the concert, but there was something peculiar back where they had set up. The Vigilante had indeed returned, a bandage over his nose. But he was also talking to someone else...

Tiffany. Even on the beach, she still wore her normal outfit.

Agent 3 jumped. "Out of all people..." she growled.

The Vigilante noticed their return and waved. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm back. And so are you."

Tiffany turned around and snickered. "Look who it is."

"We were at-" Callie paused and then dropped into an offensive stance. "Hey! I know you! You-"

" _Shhh,_ " Marie quickly shushed her cousin. "We don't want any secret identity slips."

"Why are you so mad?" the red-haired lady questioned. "I never did anything."

"You know we don't trust you, Tiffany," Octavia pointed out. "Stop trying to convince us that carp."

"I trust her," the Vigilante objected.

"Yes, but you work for her," Iris rebutted. "Obviously, you do."

"I don't get paid for this," he noted.

"I know." The poufy-haired octoling gave a sly smile.

"Well, I've talked about what I need to talk about," Tiffany announced. "I'm out of here." She walked past the group and waved. "Goodbye." With that, the lady was gone.

"What was she even talking about?" Alexis asked the Vigilante.

"She suggested trying a new method," he replied. "But then I said, 'I think I found who you're looking for.'"

Everyone gasped. If the Vigilante was finally acting on bringing Geneva to Tiffany, then things would not end well, without a doubt.

"And by saying that..." The boy with the ponytail gave a sad smile. "I have no choice now. I have to take Geneva to her."

"You admit you search for Geneva," Yvonne remarked, laughing. "Finally!"

"But she's not going with you that easily," Roy argued. "We both know her. She's smart enough to notice when something's wrong."

"I have a plan," he defended. "I wish I didn't have to, but I must."

"Wait!" Agent 3 interrupted. She stepped up to the Vigilante, long hair blowing in the breeze. Four raised an eyebrow. Just what was she doing?

"What?" he asked.

"I'll go with you," Three revealed.

The Vigilante's mouth fell open a little, surprised. "You will?"

She nodded. "I look similar enough to her that Tiffany might I think I am her. It's the only way to protect her."

Eight gasped, covering her mouth. "Three..."

"Three, don't you _dare!_ " Marie warned.

"Yeah, there's a million things that could go wrong!" Callie commented.

"Trust me," she comforted them, her voice low. "I have a plan." She turned back to look at the Vigilante. "We'll meet in front of Grizzco's tomorrow," she said, louder. "At four."

He nodded and held out his hand. "You have a deal."

She took it, and they shook hands. Agent 3 nodded and walked back to the group.

"Three, you're as crazy as a crayfish!" Four whispered to her. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because," she started, "I'm the only one that can stop her." She looked down at her hand and clenched a fist. "It has to be me. It has to be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's the actual beach chapter! I'm not too thrilled with how it turned out, but it was fun to write. Anyways, the confrontation with Tiffany will be in the next chapter. "Wait, Tiffany's confrontation is not the finale?" I don't know if anyone thought that, but I have something else in mind for the finale... I'm still deciding on some things, mostly the ending of the next chapter and the one after it, but I hope it will be a good chapter regardless. I definitely need that break after I post the finale; I've been struggling to meet the deadline as of late. But, I managed to finish it before the deadline this time! Yay to me! Hopefully by season 4 we can get back onto a routine. See you next week on Valentine's Day!


	85. Mind Brand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent 3 confronts Tiffany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains sensitive content: attempted murder, mention of serious injury.

_Bonnie's PoV_

The next day, the Rainbow Squids sat at their table once more, though Alexis, Geneva, and Inigo were all absent. Roy and Yuri were engaged in an arm-wrestling match, with the winner uncertain. Bonnie watched with anticipation, wondering who would win. Eventually, strength overcame the former, and he slammed the latter's arm down on the table, marking him the winner.

"Aw, you got me," Yuri remarked.

"Better luck next time," he teased.

"Wanna try again?" the yellow-haired inkling asked.

"Yeah, and I'll win again," the red-haired inkling replied.

Before they could proceed, they heard a high-pitched voice, getting closer and closer to them.

" _Guysss!_ " They looked up to see Agent 4 and Agent 8, dressed in their signature outfits, running towards them. They stopped in front of the table, and the short-haired inkling began running in place, nervous. "We gotta help Three!" she fretted. "She can't confront Tiffany alone!"

"Yes, and what if the Vigilante turn on her, too?" Eight panicked. "Please!" She bowed, holding her hands out. "You must help us!"

"But what can we do?" Bonnie asked with a frown. "We're not as strong as you two."

"We need witnesses," Four explained. "Just in case something goes wrong."

"You just want us to watch?" Perry puzzled. "That's boring."

"Still wouldn't hurt to go," Octavia remarked. "I wanna see what happens."

"Yes!" the curly-haired octoling exclaimed. "Will you all come?"

Roy sighed. "Sure, why not. I don't have anything better to do." The other Rainbow Squids murmured in agreement.

"Great! Follow me!" Agent 4 exclaimed, gesturing for them to follow. They rose from their seats and walked over to Grizzco Industries, hiding in a nearby bush. Agent 3 was near the entrance, donning her hero suit and cape. She was scrolling through her phone, a bored expression on her face. A few minutes later, a boy wearing a hero costume approached her, beckoning her to follow him. The Vigilante had arrived.

The long-haired girl put her phone away and proceeded to follow the Vigilante. The group emerged from the bushes and continued to trail behind them. They traveled through the streets of Inkopolis, buildings towering over them. No one would bat an eye at them. It just appeared that they were taking a walk together. Some female inklings attempted to flirt with the Vigilante, but he simply dismissed them.

Eventually, the Vigilante turned into an alleyway, and Agent 3 followed. The other two agents and the Rainbow Squids turned into squids—or octopus, in Eight's case—and pressed against the wall, listening in to the conversation. Bonnie held her phone, hiding behind a trash can. She opened up the recording app, holding the phone with a stubby tentacle. With her other tentacle, she pressed the record button and angled the phone so Agent 3 and the Vigilante were in view. Some blue ink dripped off of the phone as Bonnie touched it, but it quickly disappeared.

A smiling Tiffany leaned against a green dumpster. "You've come, boy," she greeted. Her dark eyes drifted over to Agent 3. "Who's this?"

"Tiffany..." the Vigilante started. "This is Agent 3."

"Agent 3," she repeated. "You said she was your first girlfriend?"

"Huh?" Three puzzled. "But-"

The boy with the ponytail quickly shushed her. "Y-Yes," he continued. "She was my first girlfriend. But she was out of town for the past year. I would've brought her sooner, but she didn't come back to Inkopolis until recently."

The lady nodded. "I see." She examined Agent 3 for a few brief moments before shaking her head. "Unfortunately, she's not who I'm looking for."

"Well, she fits your description," the Vigilante defended. "And you never told me her name, so..."

Tiffany snickered. "That's right, I never did tell you her name."

"What?" he muttered. Now upset, he complained, "You set me up!"

"I was just testing your abilities," she explained. "Besides, Agent 3 has the wrong eye color. The squid I'm looking for has _two_ green eyes. Not...a weird, turquoise one."

"I wasn't born with a weird eye," Three grumbled.

"What's that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as her smile grew longer.

The green-haired girl let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm _done_ with these games." She pulled out her Hero Shot, much to everyone's surprise, and pointed it at Tiffany. "You want Geneva Gonati, right? Why?"

Surprise briefly flashed in her dark eyes. "Put down your weapon," the lady deflected the question. "We're just trying to be amicable here. I haven't done anything."

"Answer me," she demanded.

"You won't press the trigger, will you?" she teased. "Besides, you'll go to jail if you splat me, out here in the open, while I'm not connected to a spawn point." Agent 3's hand trembled slightly, and Tiffany snickered. "You're not going to press it," she taunted. "I can see it in your eyes."

"I will if you don't stop messin' with me," Three threatened.

"Fine, fine," the lady sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Geneva Gonati. That's her name." Both the Vigilante and Agent 3 tensed at the revelation. "What's with the weird looks? It's almost like you know her..."

"I've met some of her friends," the long-haired girl remarked. The barrel of the Hero Shot still remained pointed at Tiffany's head, Three's gaze unwavering. "You still haven't answered the second part of my question, though. Why?"

"I can answer this," the Vigilante interjected. "She wants to talk to her, so she can reach her brother. She wants to reconnect with him."

"Good boy," she mused. She returned her attention to Agent 3. "You see now? I just want to talk to him. Nothing more than that."

"I don't believe that one second," she snapped. She still held up her weapon, approaching Tiffany, causing the older inkling to press against the dumpster she leaned on. "Remember when Asher went to the hospital?"

The lady blinked. "I don't," she insisted, annoyance seeping into her voice. "That never happened. Besides, I would've remembered visiting him if that was the case."

"Lies," she growled. "You visited him. I remember you visiting him."

"You know, I think I do know," Tiffany immediately followed. "He lost control of his car, right? I was devastated when I found out about it."

"That's not what happened at all," Three argued. "It was a charger shot to the gut."

"No, it wasn't. You must be imagining things."

"Why would I make this up? I saw it myself!"

"I have no idea where you came from, little girl, but I'm certain you didn't grow up it in Kitano. I would've recognized you if you did."

"Maybe it's because of my eye," Agent 3 noted, "but I did." She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it. She showed Tiffany the phone screen. "You're the reason why he ended up there in the first place."

As soon as the lady processed whatever image was on it, she grabbed the collar of Three's jacket, causing her to drop her phone. Bonnie flinched as the object landed on the asphalt, causing a loud thud to be sounded. The Vigilante quickly picked it up and started looking through her phone.

"Well, buttercup, you finally showed up," the red-haired lady intoned, her voice like ice. "It took you long enough." Her dark eyes focused on the boy with the ponytail. "Well, Vigilante, thank you very much for your help. You can go now."

The Vigilante remained where he stood, silent. "Well? Go!" Tiffany barked.

"...Let her go," he muttered.

The lady raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"I said, let her go," he repeated, louder, holding his chin up high.

"I-" Tiffany blinked, grimacing. "I give you that roller, allow you to shoot up to fame in the first place, I help you achieve your dreams, and this is how you repay me? You are the Vigilante! I thought you were better than this."

"No," the boy with the ponytail muttered. "The Vigilante is not who I am." He threw his tinted shades off his face and stomped on them, cracking the red lens. He took a few steps forward, his ink shifting from red to indigo. "Who I am is Inigo Sable. I always have been, and I always will be."

Bonnie nearly dropped her phone from shock. _What?_ she puzzled, in awe of the revelation. _Inigo is the Vigilante?! ...Inigo is the Vigilante._ Her shock soon became replaced with worry. _Oh no._ Roy wouldn't like this. He wouldn't like this at all, to hear that his best friend was cheating on women left and right. Neither would Yuri. Or anyone else, really. She was just glad Geneva wasn't here with the other Rainbow Squids—she would take it the hardest. But she would have to find out eventually...

Tiffany threw Agent 3 aside, and she hit her head against the wall. The green-haired inkling rubbed the spot for a few seconds before standing back up, pulling out her Hero Shot once more. She stepped next to Inigo, preparing her weapon.

"How _dare_ you," the lady snarled. At last, her true colors were revealed. "Liars, backstabbers, betrayers... The scum of the earth. Unfortunately, you're joining them, Inigo, turning on me."

"W-What about Agent 3?" he stuttered, his confidence faltering. "You still need her, don't you?"

She plucked Agent 3's phone out of his hands and put it away. "Not anymore, I don't."

Tiffany then pulled out a can of some sort and bust it open, causing a Bubble Blower to appear in her hands. She swung it thrice, creating giant, red bubbles. They started circling around Inigo and Agent 3, looming closer and closer.

"Goodbye, Inigo, buttercup," she said coldly. "It's a shame it has to end this way."

Tiffany jumped over the two inklings and placed a suction bomb behind one of the bubbles. She started dashing out of the alleyway, only for Agent 4 and Agent 8 to jump out of their hiding spots, apprehending the lady. She struggled to get free, her lip curling to reveal her teeth.

However, that wasn't Bonnie's main worry. As soon as the suction bomb blew up, Inigo and Agent 3 would be splatted...for good.

"Inigo! Three!" Roy called from his hiding spot. "Take cover!"

The suction bomb exploded, bursting all three bubbles and covering the alleyway with a rather gruesome display of red ink. Ink stained the walls, dripping off of windowsills, onto the floor. The dumpster had been covered in ink as well. Bonnie transformed back into a kid and peered over towards the scene, holding her breath. She noticed two sets of eyes, peering out from below the dumpster. Two squids then crawled out from beneath it and transformed back into Inigo and Agent 3, both with shocked expressions on their faces. Some ink had gotten onto them, but they seemed unharmed otherwise. The blue-haired girl let out a sigh of relief.

They trudged through the ink, reaching the end of the alleyway some seconds later. "Looks like you met your match," Agent 3 remarked, crossing her arms.

Tiffany looked behind her and scowled. "You lived," she simply said. "How?"

"I'm not the same girl I was all those years ago," she replied. "I've gotten stronger. And smarter." She walked up to Tiffany and pointed her Hero Shot at her once more. "If you ever hurt anyone again, I will cut a fish. Got it?"

The lady remained silent, her glare narrowing even more.

Bonnie stopped recording the video and emerged from her hiding spot, followed by the rest of the Rainbow Squids. Inigo examined the group, amazed.

"You all came," he muttered. He laughed weakly to himself, gripping his sides. "Now you know the truth." He turned around, his head drooping. "And now I know the truth as well."

"Inigo?" Octavia called, reaching a hand out for him. "You OK?"

"I'm fine," he replied, his voice cracking.

"No you're not," she concluded. "Come here; I'll give you a hug."

"I don't need a hug," he rejected.

"You'll regret it..." she teased.

Inigo still did not move, pressing his head against the wall. Roy sighed and pulled out his phone. "I'll call the police." He dialed the emergency number and proceeded to talk to someone on the phone. A few minutes later, he put it away and gave a thumbs up. More time passed, and the sound of police sirens soon rang through the air. A car stopped in front of the alleyway, and two sharks emerged from the car, uniformed. One of them walked up to the Rainbow Squids.

"One of yous have evidence?" he asked.

Bonnie gave a nervous nod and pulled up the video she had recorded, skipping it over to when Tiffany first used Bubble Blower. She showed it to the policeman, and after watching it, he nodded. He turned to the other shark and gestured to him. The second shark pulled out some handcuffs and placed them around Tiffany's wrists. Agent 4 and Agent 8 let go of her, and the shark grabbed her instead. Eight now held a green cellphone in her hand, and she proceeded to return it to Three.

"We'll need to copy the video," the first shark explained. "So, I'll need to take that phone off of you."

"I..." The beige-skinned inkling frowned and held out her phone. "OK."

The policeman took it and walked back over to the other policeman. "Good day," he called. They put Tiffany in the back seat of the car before getting in the car themselves, driving off, leaving the group in the dust.

After the events of what had just transpired happened, Agent 3 relaxed. "It's over," she realized. "It's finally over."

Agent 8 looked over at the green-haired inkling, and a big smile grew on her face. "Yes," she confirmed. "It is over."

She walked over to the other two agents and pulled them into a hug. "Thank you," she muttered. When the hug ceased, Agent 3 looked over at the Rainbow Squids, a smile on her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. "And thank you, too."

Bonnie smiled. "You're welcome, Three," she muttered. "You're welcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🦀 Tiffany is gone! 🦀 It's my Valentine's Day gift to you. Happy Valentine's Day, regardless if you're in a relationship or not.
> 
> Poor Agent 3. I'm not sure how many times she's almost been killed at this point. Inigo, on the other hand...is going to have nightmares for weeks. Get both of them therapy. And Agent 4 and Agent 8, too. They need therapy, too. Fun fact about the title - it is indeed another Vocaloid reference, this time to Mind Brand. The lyrics don't necessarily fit, but I think the scorn is there to somewhat describe Agent 3's feelings towards Tiffany. Now that Tiffany's in jail, hopefully we can breathe a little easier now. And hopefully the Rainbow Squids can breathe easier now, too.
> 
> The original ending was that Tiffany was simply chased off, not wishing to return because of Agent 3. About a week ago I came up with an alternate ending where Tiffany's final gambit ends up seriously injuring Inigo and Three, landing them in the hospital, and Tiffany in jail. I decided not to go the hospital route, since that's more violent than I want the story to be. The final ending is pretty similar to the alternate ending, though. I still needed a definite reason why Tiffany would not return, after all.


	86. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geneva refuses to talk to Inigo, even after they team up in the Squid vs. Octopus Splatfest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Marina's dialogue is from Splatoon 2.

_Inigo's PoV_

The day after the confrontation with Tiffany, Inigo stood at Hammerhead Bridge, leaning against the railing, staring out into the water. The cracked tinted shades rested on the bridge of his nose, its current state messing with his vision.

Though, there was a reason he came here, dressed as the Vigilante. He pulled out his phone and stood up straight, facing the object towards him. He started to record a video, a sad smile on his face.

"Hey, squids," he greeted. "You may have noticed that I've been quiet for the past few days... Well, I'm here to say, the Vigilante is no more."

He changed the camera so that it was facing the water, and he proceeded to grab the tinted shades, ripping it off of his face and chucking it into the sea. It became a mere speck in the distance, sinking into the waves. A weight lifted off his shoulders, Inigo released his breath and finished his speech.

"Goodbye...forever."

He stopped recording the video and posted it on Squidsagram. He put his phone away, staring out into the river for a few seconds more.

Finally, it was over. After Tiffany betrayed him and tried to kill him, there was only one action to take. And it was an action he had been considering for a long time now. He was no longer the Vigilante. Once again, he was just Inigo.

The boy with the ponytail took the thicker hairband out and replaced it with the thinner hairband, exposing his cowlick once more. He started walking back to Inkopolis Square, putting in his earphones and listening to Fresh Start along the way.

He chuckled to himself at the coincidence. He was listening to Fresh Start when he first met Tiffany. And now that everything was over, he was listening to Fresh Start again.

He hopped onto a train back to the square, gripping the silver pole with a fair-skinned hand. His phone buzzed, and he took it out to see a text from Geneva. Excited, he opened it. The green-haired inkling had not spoken to him since yesterday, when she found out he was the Vigilante. However, his hopes were crushed when it was simply a link to a video, with the girl asking him to watch it. He opened the link and tilted his phone sideways, wishing to see the footage.

The news anchor, a betta fish, began to speak. "Monday afternoon, 22-year-old Tiffany Teuthis was arrested for attempted homicide of two teenaged inklings, both aged 17." Footage of the street the alleyway he confronted her in began to play, accompanied by a mugshot of the red-haired lady. "The teenagers were unharmed, sustaining only minor, ink-based injuries. The families of the victims have requested that their names be kept private." The images used to represent him and Agent 3 were simply silhouettes of stock images.

After the video finished, Inigo started playing music again and put his phone away. Tiffany was gone. It was strange to think that just yesterday, they were on good terms. Now, their relationship was beyond repair.

Perhaps it was for the best.

* * *

The Splatfest came the following weekend, and Inigo could not have been more excited. Not only was it a special Splatfest, it also marked one year since Off the Hook took over Inkopolis News. Inigo had chosen Team Octopus, now donning a black-and-magenta tee. He liked to eat octopus more, so he decided to choose Marina's team. Though, everyone had different reasons. The vast majority of Octa Prisma also chose Team Octopus, presumably because they themselves were octopi. The only ones not to choose Team Octopus were Eight and Peyton, though he wasn't sure why.

Standing outside of the lobby were the other Rainbow Squids on Team Octopus—Octavia, Geneva, and Bonnie. They were talking among themselves when they noticed the boy with the ponytail. Via and Bon-Bon waved, but Geneva remained stationary, glaring at him with her exposed green eye. Inigo walked over to them and grabbed the wavy-haired girl's hand.

"Ready?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"Ready," she replied.

They let go, and then Bonnie announced, "Let's go."

The inklings walked into the Deca Tower, which was, of course, packed. They proceeded to grab their weapons out of the storage room and started searching for a lobby. An inkling girl with funny-looking hair chatted eagerly with another inkling with the same hairstyle, and an inkling with short hair joined them. They all wore shirts with Team Squid's logo on it, and they then turned around, heading into one of the elevators. The group started walking towards them, but another group of squids on Team Octopus entered the elevator before them. Inigo frowned, and he then tugged on Via's hand, leading them towards the empty elevator. After they entered, Geneva leaned against the wall, folding her arms against her chest.

"There's been a lot more octolings lately," she remarked.

"Huh?" the girl with the double bun puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, the only octolings I've seen are Octa Prisma and Elyse," the wavy-haired girl agreed. "And DJ Octavio, if you count him."

"Funny you mention Elyse," Geneva commented. "She's, uh, my new neighbor now."

"Really?" Inigo marveled. "That's fresh."

"Yeah, she moved in yesterday. Haven't talked to her much, though," she elaborated. She then shook her head. "Back to the subject." Before she could continue, another group walked into the elevator, wearing Team Squid shirts. Instead of words, Geneva sighed. "...Never mind. I'll tell you later."

The boy with the ponytail examined the newcomers. Agent 8 stood in the doorway, twirling a curly tentacle around her finger. Next to her was a bronze-skinned inkling wearing double egg shades. He couldn't help but think she was familiar... On the other side of Eight was Peyton, though she simply just wore an Annaki beret, instead of wearing the glasses as well. He considered seeing her purple eyes rare at this point. Inigo didn't recognize the fourth inkling—she had wheat-colored skin and short hair, complete with pink eyes.

"Oh, Audrey," Octavia recognized. Her orange eyes drifted towards the group. "You know her?"

"Oh, Alexis's sister," Audrey deadpanned. "Nah, I don't know them. I just followed them here."

"Yes, confirm," Peyton certified.

"Oh," Via realized, her mouth open. "Forget what I said then."

The door shut behind them, and the elevator descended deeper into the tower.

"Four's with you?" Geneva asked Eight. She simply nodded in response. "I see."

Inigo looked over at the bronze-skinned inkling. _Now that she mentioned it..._ The girl did appear to be Agent 4—same skin color, same haircut, and even the same height. Her leg bounced excitedly, though she was looking away from them. In her hands were the Hero Dualies—the same weapon Alexis uses.

The elevator stopped, and the metallic floor opened beneath them, revealing the grate, darkness below them. Inigo turned into a squid and slipped through the grate, swimming to his next destination. When he reformed into a kid, he was met with a starry, dark sky, various food containers floating about in the air. Neon signs adorned the sides, and on the stage itself, some kind of rubber structures poked out of the ground, shaped like tentacles. There were magenta tentacles that tapered towards the end, and there were also bright green tentacles, shaped like a squid's head. A Shifty Station, he assumed.

The match started, fireworks shooting into the sky, forming the shapes of squids and octopi. Inigo wiped some of the falling confetti off his hair, but something felt...off. He looked over at his friends. Somehow, they had gained the funny hairstyles he had been seeing more often as of late. Their ears and fingertips were rounded, and a few suction cups adorned the top of their tentacles. Was this the 'cover sheet' Off the Hook mentioned in the Splatfest announcement? He supposed so.

Bonnie looked over at Inigo, puzzled. Her face appeared to be the same, but at the same time, it wasn't. The dark mask around her eyes—the same mask that adorned the eyes of every inkling—had become separated, and her features had become sharper, with smaller eyebrows and sharp eyelashes. Like the other girls, her hair had been modified—it was still in a double bun, but her tentacles now tapered towards the end. The smaller tentacles on the back of her neck were absent.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Inigo puzzled similarly, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just..." Bonnie shook her head. "Never mind. Let's go battle."

The boy with the ponytail slammed his Carbon Roller to the ground, flicking magenta ink in front of him. He rolled it for a few feet before jumping down to the grassy clearing. He inked the grass for a few seconds before running up a ramp, lifting his roller when he got to the edge of the platform. There were two transparent gates—to his right was a gate outlined in magenta, and to his left was a gate outlined in green, both labeled with the number 'one.' The magenta, tapered tentacle stood outside of the right gate. He jumped down to it and tried smacking it, only for it to have no effect. He lifted his roller and stared at the gate, dumbfounded.

His confusion quickly disappeared when he saw a reflection in the glass. Startled, he jumped, only for the reflection to mimic his movement. He blinked, realizing that the stranger in the mirror was, in fact, him. His hair was still tied up into a ponytail, now being identical to Peyton's hairstyle. He retained his fair skin and indigo eyes, but like he had seen on Bonnie, his eye mask was not connected.

 _So that's what's wrong,_ he deduced. He snapped out of his thoughts as someone stepped on him, causing him to stumble. He turned around to see that Agent 4 had rolled towards the tapered tentacle, shooting it with green ink. He rose his roller and slammed it down on her, just before the tentacle could burst. His expression stern, he watched as a green ghost floated away from the explosion of magenta ink. The tentacle in front of him was swollen, green ink dripping off of the rubber. Inigo lifted the roller, wiping some sweat off his face. He turned to see where the bronze-skinned girl had come from. It was then he spotted an octopus climbing up a box, reforming into who he assumed to be Geneva.

He climbed up the box as well to join her. She jumped down to the squid tentacle, shooting it until it blew up. The green gate began to recede into the ground, allowing people to pass through. Inigo scanned the area once more before approaching the fair-skinned girl. Her hairstyle was similar to Agent 8's normal hairstyle, but it was much longer in the front.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she greeted back, not looking back at him and instead staring straight ahead with her green eye.

His spirits dampened, Inigo watched as Geneva continued inking the area ahead with her Splattershot, covering up the pavement with magenta ink. It was then he noticed a pale-skinned girl climb up the white box, slinging her Tri-Slosher back and forth. She inched towards the long-haired girl, who then noticed her. She rolled up to her and leaped up into the air, a magenta circle marking the area of impact. Geneva slammed her fist down to the ground, creating an explosion that splatted her attacker. Her tentacles came to rest, now moving idly by her hips.

Inigo clapped briefly before beginning to search for the second squid-shaped tentacle. He found one by simply turning the bend past the spot the first one was. As soon as he reached it, however, ink pierced through the small of his back, and he let out a scream of pain, splatting against the rubber. He respawned a few seconds later, rubbing his gut. He super-jumped to Bonnie, who was positioned on the center box. She snapped towards another inkling with a charger, splatting her with one hit from her Classic Squiffer.

The boy with the ponytail jumped down to the main level, slamming his roller down and covering up turf that the other team had inked. He heard another gate open, this one belonging to his one team. He bit his tongue, annoyed. But, he had to avoid the urge to go chase after the squid that invaded their base. That would end badly. Instead, he once again targeted the second green tentacle. Some magenta ink already dripped off of it, but there was no sign of any attackers. He started smacking the tentacle with his Carbon Roller, the tentacle wiggling as it expanded.

He heard someone swimming behind him. He turned around, seeing ripples in the ink approaching closer and closer. A squid leaped out of the ink, and he then stared into the purple eyes of an inkling version of Peyton. Two tentacles framed her face, and she had two other tentacles tied into a ponytail. Two smaller tentacles could be seen on her neck. She threw a burst bomb at him, splattering green ink right on his face. Blinded, he threw an auto bomb down and started swinging his roller wildly. He heard Peyton gasp before another wave of pain tore through his body, splatting him.

Inigo respawned, his feet wobbling. Both times he had splatted had been particularly harsh splattings, but he had to press on. Not even half the match had passed yet, and the winner of the match was indeterminate. In the distance, he saw an octopus-shaped ghost float away into the sky, followed by one of the magenta gates opening. He whipped his head around, where he spotted the final tapered tentacle. He had to protect it, no matter what ailment came over him.

The boy with the ponytail did a vertical swing, swimming off towards the small area that housed the third tentacle. His eyes drifted over to the right, where he noticed Agent 4, advancing towards him and shooting ink from her dualies. Inigo put the wheel of the Carbon Roller down and circled the tentacle, gaining enough points to activate his special weapon. He pulled out a container and threw it to the ground, causing a magenta cloud to rise into the air. However, it didn't work—Four merely rolled through the Ink Storm, magenta ink now dripping from her clothes. Inigo threw an auto bomb at her and hid behind the tentacle. She rolled out of the way, but the bomb still chased her. After a few seconds, the bomb blew up, splattering more enemy ink onto Four.

It was then a marker appeared around the bronze-skinned inkling's feet as she approached the tentacle, remaining in place as she dodge-rolled towards the structure. Inigo revealed himself from behind the tentacle and splatted Four in one hit before walking up to the marker. Preparing for the inkling that would land at the marker, he started slamming his Carbon Roller against the ground. A girl with wheat-colored skin landed, throwing a point sensor moments before she splatted. A black arrow now circled around Inigo, revealing his position to the other team. However, there wasn't much he could do about it.

He ran into the main area, dodging ink that flew towards him. He started flicking his roller both ways, trying to fend off the enemy. Peyton once again attempted to splat him, but he was prepared this time. He swung the roller vertically, getting a direct hit on the girl with the ponytail. Satisfied, he continuing inking turf until the black marker disappeared off of him. Afterwards, he swam towards the third magenta tentacle once more. He sat at the base, waiting for anyone to approach him.

A few seconds later, he looked up to see a bright green Ink Storm, looming closer and closer to him. Soon, it contacted his skin, and he was forced to emerge, trying to ink a path through the rain. In the distance, he noticed a green beam, growing longer and longer, until it touched his shirt. Up against the central box was a girl with light brown skin, having short hair identical to Agent 4 and Audrey. In her hands was an E-liter 4K. He started moving out of the way, but the girl—who he assumed to be Agent 8—fired, cleaving his arm and splatting him.

Inigo once again respawned, now with a minute left on the clock. He rubbed his arm, relieved to find it still there. Spawn points were a miracle sometimes. He super-jumped to one of Octavia's beakons, located up against a wooden platform. On the other side of the area, he could see a green sponge. However, right in the middle of it was the third squid-shaped tentacle, only damaged slightly. He threw out an auto bomb before hiding in front of the squid beakon, cautious of any enemies. A magenta circle marked the auto bomb's radius, but it simply idled for a few moments before expanding, exploding into a puddle of magenta ink. Inigo emerged from the puddle around the beakon, giving an affirmative nod. He swung at the tentacle, swelling it with magenta ink. It grew larger and larger until it popped, lowering the third and final gate.

With access to Team Squid's base, Team Octopus could push through their defenses and win. He rolled over to the new area, a trail of magenta ink following him. However, something then bumped into him, knocking him to the ground. He lifted his head, his own ink sliding off his face. He turned around to see a Baller expand, filling with green ink. He cursed under his breath as it exploded, splatting him.

Once more, Inigo respawned, and super-jumped to the same beakon. He was splatted upon arrival, thanks to Audrey's inspection of the area. The Quick Respawn chunks he had on his shoes activated, allowing him to jump back into the action faster than usual. He didn't super-jump this time, instead jumping straight down to the clearing just in front of the raised platform the spawn point was on. Some blades of grass stuck through the thick ink, but they were quickly flattened as Inigo ran over them. The magenta gate labeled with a 'three' lowered, allowing for a green beam to shine through. The fair-skinned boy jumped back, remembering that Eight carried a charger on her. The beam disappeared momentarily, a glowing spot moving through the ink. The girl with light brown skin popped out of the ink, firing her E-liter 4K immediately. A trail of green ink landed a few feet from Inigo, onto the ramp.

"Hey, Eight!" someone called. Indigo eyes drifted over towards the source of the voice. Octavia stood on the raised platform, leaning on her Octobrush Nouveau. Her normally wavy tentacle was kinked, tapering towards the end. Eight lifted her head, her pink eyes focusing on Via. "Can you hit me?" she taunted.

"Now?" She lifted her charger and pressed down on the trigger, charging it up. The light on it glew brighter and brighter.

"No, not now," Via corrected. "While I'm running!"

"I think," Eight replied.

"Then it's a challenge," she declared with a wink. She pressed the bristles of the brush down on the ground and started running down to the clearing where the third tentacle once was. "Let's go!"

Eight swung her body around, trying to aim towards Octavia. She released the trigger, causing a beam to shoot out of her charger, but it didn't hit at all. Some of the ink fell into the abyss, counting towards nothing. Instead of jumping down to the clearing, Via swung back around, running back up to the spawn point.

 _What is she doing?_ Inigo thought, frustrated. _She's gonna run out of ink!_

The bristles of the Octobrush Nouveau ran dry by the time she returned, so she jumped into the spawn point. Eight aimed towards her, but her shot simply bounced off of the barrier, spreading out around the machine. Via popped out of the spawn point a few seconds later, winking again. Geneva then respawned and stared at her, confused. The wavy-haired girl paused for a few moments, allowing Eight to snap her E-liter 4K towards her and splat her.

"Yay!" she cheered. "I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Inigo emerged from his hiding spot and slammed his Carbon Roller down on her head, causing her to explode into magenta ink. Her gear sunk into the ground, and the boy with the ponytail stood over where she was, smirking. He looked to his side, seeing Audrey roll towards him with a Baller once more. He threw an auto bomb at her, and she merely ran it over, destroying it. Inigo swam up the ramp and watched as the Baller exploded, covering a large area with green ink. The wheat-skinned girl repositioned herself, holding up her .52 Gal. She started inking the surrounding area some more, approaching Inigo.

She managed to land a shot on him before he proceeded to splat her. His hair now glowing, Inigo threw out another Ink Storm, which flew across the map. Right after he threw it out, a green marker then surrounded him. Tenta Missiles. He retreated back into his team's base, and in front of him, missiles fell from the sky, splattering even more green ink everywhere. He got right back to covering it up, and by the time he finished, the match ended. He lifted his Carbon Roller, magenta ink dripping from the wheel.

He started walking into the main area. However, something was off—the majority of people present had some kind of fog around them, wavering. He looked over at Geneva, who had super-jumped up to the top of a perch, talking to Eight. Her appearance was hazy, as was the other girl's. They seemed be a mixture of their original species and the species they chose for the Splatfest, with their original appearance becoming clearer by the second. Soon, the haze faded, and Geneva and Eight appeared normal again.

Inigo pulled out his phone and turned on the camera. He, too, looked like an inkling again, though he could faintly see his octoling appearance around him.

"Weird," he commented, putting his phone away.

"Guess we don't have the cover sheet anymore," he heard Octavia comment. He looked over towards her. She stood next to Bonnie, both appearing to be inklings once more.

"Who do you think won?" the beige-skinned inkling asked her friend.

"Team Octopus, duh," she replied. "Did you see all the turf we inked in their base? We're winning for sure."

Judd and Li'l Judd then appeared on the central box, holding a magenta and green flag respectively. They danced, and as Via predicted, Judd struck out his flag, marking Team Octopus as the winner of the match.

"Booyah!" Inigo cheered.

"Oh," Geneva noticed, looking over at him. "We won."

Geneva and Agent 8 jumped down from their perch, the latter holding out a hand. "Good game."

The long-haired inkling took her hand and shook it. "Good game."

Inigo frowned. How he would like to talk to Geneva again, casually. But now that the truth was revealed, they barely spoke at all.

But he couldn't get upset over it. He'll fix his friendship with her. One day.

* * *

A few hours after the Splatfest ended, Inigo once again sat with the Rainbow Squids in Inkopolis Square, exchanging a glance with Geneva. They merely stared at each other, not saying a single word.

"What's with the passive-aggressiveness?" Yuri asked them. "It's weird seeing you two like this."

"You know," Geneva muttered.

"C'mon, Geneva, he quit being the Vigilante," Octavia pointed out. "You know that, right?"

"I know, but..." She leaned over to the wavy-haired inkling and whispered something to her. Feeling a twinge of rejection, Inigo turned around to look at the giant screen plastered onto to the front of Deca Tower. Just as he was about to speak, the jingle to Inkopolis News played, displaying Off the Hook's logo.

"Oh! Oh!" Roy exclaimed, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. "They're gonna announce the Splatfest results!"

"Y'all know what time it is!" Pearl greeted in her chipper voice.

"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!" Marina followed.

"Marina! Before we announce the stages, why don't you share the breaking news?"

"Breaking news? What did you break this time?"

"I didn't break anything! I was talking about the Splatfest results!"

" _Ooh!_ The Splatfest results are in!"

Off the Hook proceeded to display the results to the Squid vs. Octopus Splatfest, which declared Team Squid the winner.

" _Buh-buh-buh-booyah!_ " Pearl cheered. Marina simply looked at her, distraught. "Squidkids be the best! Ten limbs never stressed! _Ayyyy!_ "

"Good effort, Team Octopus!" Marina said, calming down. "I'm proud of you."

"Hard to believe we've been doin' this for a year already," the pale-skinned idol remarked.

"Yeah, we've come a long way," the dark-skinned idol agreed.

"Big thanks to all the fans that make this possible. We love ya!"

"I love you too!" Perry called from his seat, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"I don't think she'll hear ya," Bonnie commented.

"If you participated in the Splatfest, your prizes are waiting in the square!" Marina finished. Afterwards, Off the Hook proceeded to share what the stages were before signing off.

"So, there goes it," Alexis declared, placing her feet on the table. "Squids are better than octopi."

"Wonder how Octa Prisma's taking this," Geneva mused.

Inigo looked over at the group of octolings. He noticed Giovanni chuckle, closing his eyes and crossing his arms, smiling.

"Surprisingly well," he deduced.

Alexis got up from her seat and ran over to them, followed by the rest of the Rainbow Squids. "So, whatcha think?" she asked them.

"Not happy," Iris grumbled.

"It is expected," the green-haired octoling pointed out. "We know how superior your skills are to Octarians."

"No, we are better than them," Brayden argued. "The Splatfest does not prove anything."

"Well, it's the law now," Octavia pointed out. "Squids are legally better than octopi."

"I suppose so," Oscar conceded with a sigh.

"It feel nice to be on team that win," Eight remarked. "More super sea snails!"

"Yeah!" Peyton agreed. "More super sea snails!"

Inigo gave a sad smile. He turned around, starting to walk towards the Deca Tower.

"Hey, Inigo!" Roy shouted. He looked over his shoulder, at his friend. "Where're you goin'?!"

The indigo-haired inkling turned around completely, now facing the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma. "Home," he replied. "I've been thinking on it for a while."

"Huh?" Yuri blinked. "What do ya mean?"

"I need a break," he explained. "After everything that's happened over the past few months, I need a break. With being the Vigilante, then the whole thing at the bay, and now with fighting Tiffany last week." _And Geneva going silent on me,_ he added quietly.

He expected backlash, but instead, everyone just nodded their head.

"Take all the time you need," Bonnie muttered, smiling. "I think I would take a break if I would you, too."

"Yeah, can't force ya to do anythin'," Perry agreed. "You're our friend, right?"

"Yeah, and we wouldn't be good friends if we force you to stay," the yellow-haired boy added.

Geneva's poker face remained. "It's for the best," she said.

Inigo nodded. "See you next week," he announced.

The Rainbow Squids waved goodbye, and the boy with the ponytail started walking again. Instead of heading into the Deca Tower, he went to the parking lot nearby and climbed into his car. He started it up and drove away, going home.

Finally, he could rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you probably all know by now, Splatoon 3 was announced a few days ago. How will this effect the Rainbow Squids? Well, this is a story about Splatoon 2, and the story will end after the Chaos vs. Order Splatfest, so not much will change. I think the most references I'll make to it will be lore-related - it doesn't even take place in Inkopolis! By the time Splatoon 3 releases, I expect that we'll probably be in Season 5. The general plan is, Season 4 starts in June 2021, Season 5 starts in March 2022, and Season 6 starts in January 2023, with a hiatus of about three months between them. And since Splatoon usually releases in the summer, it's reasonable to expect that we'll be in Season 5 by then.
> 
> Anyways, get ready for the Season 3 finale, "The Hero Within," coming out next Sunday, February 28th! It's a VERY, VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER, so please do not skip over it! Probably even more important than Fly Octo Fly/Into the Light! Got it? Bonus Story 4 will likely come out the following week, since I don't think I'll finish it by next Sunday. After that, it'll be a hiatus, with Bonus Story 5 coming out on June 1st. See you next week!


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